Darkest Before The Dawn
by JayDog75
Summary: AU retelling of the events from Khyron's Revenge forward. Operation Star Saver turns into a fiasco and the RDF is left to pick up the pieces afterwords. Meanwhile, Rick and Lisa begin to draw closer, but with Minmei around again, that could be in jeopardy as well. Rated M for some rough talk, intense action sequences, and implied nocturnal activities. **COMPLETE**
1. It Was Supposed To Be A Simple Patrol

To start, I own none of this...it's all Harmony Gold's world. I'm just borrowing it. As it is AU, yes, Ben is still among the living. Sadly, I couldn't bring Roy back for this one. Italics will usually denote thoughts in this. Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

 **Chapter One – It Was Supposed To Be A Simple Patrol**

 _Approximately 2 years after the attack of the Zentraedi Fleet on Earth._

The wide open expanses of the prairie that resided in what was the Dakota Quadrant of North America remained much has it had over time. The quiet that dwelled in this area and the surrounding Black Hills usually was only disturbed by the wind or the occasional clap of thunder during the summer months. Every once in a while, the screech of a bird of prey such as a hawk or eagle would carry across the rolling plains.

Today, though, a much different sound resonated over the surface. The rumble of the engines of four Robotech Defense Force Veritech Fighters came from above and echoed over the expanses as they flew off to the Northwest towards their home. The fighters, some of the most technologically advanced creations of humans, were the backbone of the RDF and their defense of their home planet. They had proved their worth on Earth and beyond over the past years.

The lead fighter was distinctive in its own right. A solid white Veritech fighter with gold and black trim, only broken up by the distinctive shield emblem of the RDF in red and white on the side of the fuselage. The tail fin was a solid black with a white skull and crossbones, the Jolly Roger of pirating days. The fighter, officially called Skull One, but called The Old Girl by its pilot, was famed across the globe and feared by its enemies.

In the cockpit, its pilot, Wing Commander Rick Hunter, found himself not in much of a mood to take in the scenery around him. Rather, his thoughts were dwelling on some events that had occurred prior to the small patrol squadron flying over the quiet grassland below.

The patrol, as was explained in the briefing a few days prior, was laid out as a simple flight out to the Great Lakes Quadrant to check up on any possible Malcontent activity out around New Cleveland and New Buffalo. In the past, Rick would have pushed to have his XO, Max Sterling, and his two most experienced pilots, Ben Dixon and Miriya Sterling, with him on any patrol. However, there were some factors that prevented this from happening. The first was that if anything went wrong, there was a good chance Skull Squadron, and the RDF, would lose some of their most talented fighters. The second factor was that Max and Ben were both pretty close to running their own squadrons at this point.

The third factor was that Max and Miriya had been unavailable for the past few weeks after the arrival of their daughter, Dana. Miriya had still yet to be cleared to return to service by the doctors. It had taken a lot of persuasion and cajoling to get her to stop flying after she hit her third trimester. _Threatening a pregnant micronized Zentraedi with a court martial wasn't exactly my idea of a good time,_ Rick remembered. _Thankfully Max got through to her, otherwise she would have flown until her water broke._

The biggest factor was that the new class of pilots needed some practical experience outside of zooming around on the simulators. The three new pilots with Rick on the patrol were all fresh out of the Academy and were making their first real patrol flight this time around. To Rick's right was Jack Baker, who flew under the call sign "Plankton" due to his short stature. Off to the left was Amelia Niebauer, aka "Nibbler", who Ben Dixon had called "cute, but dangerous." Rick felt a smile come across his face as he remembered Amelia's reaction to this. _Ben was right on both counts. She nearly had him singing soprano after that crack._ Just below was Fred Malikowski, who earned his call sign of "Screech" for being really skinny and having a voice that sounded just like that. All three had done well in the eyes of their commander on this go around.

 _Thisis the kind of patrol to have a few of the new guys and gals into the swing of things_ , he thought. _Easy little hop over to the Great Lakes, check out a few things, head home. Doesn't make for the most exciting after action report, but hey, I'll take mundane._

And for the most part, the Malcontents had cooperated as the patrol was, well, mundane. New Cleveland and New Buffalo were quiet and there wasn't much in the way of Malcontent activity to speak of in that sector. That all changed as the contingent was making their way back towards home.

A report had come into the RDF's Macross Command that there may have been a Protoculture matrix in the area of New Detroit. As Rick's patrol was the one that was the closest by to take a look to verify the report, it was pretty much automatic that they would be given the task. When they arrived to assess the report, it turned out that there was plenty of truth to the story.

The Protoculture matrix was not only in the New Detroit area, it was smack in the middle of the downtown area, residing in the ruins of a former football stadium. The small squad had been able to find the matrix rather quickly once arriving and Rick, in his capacity as commanding officer, was contemplating making the call over to an RDF Ground Forces detachment from nearby Fort Klinger over in New Toledo. _A platoon of Destroids would have been enough to secure that area and keep that matrix safe._

Rick had been talking with the mayor of the city to see what could be done and had nearly gotten the blessing of the politician to have the platoon come in and guard the matrix from any Malcontent threat. This plan, however, started to unravel almost immediately.

 _It was all under control until the limo showed up._

A limousine happened to stop nearby where Rick, the other pilots, and the mayor were in discussions about what should be done. A lone figure emerged from the limo and came over to join the conversation. Rick recognized who it was immediately; Lynn Kyle, the manager and confidant of Miss Macross herself, Lynn Minmei. It turned out that the Voice Of Freedom had a concert performance in New Detroit the night before and was getting ready to head off towards her next appearance when they happened upon a growing crowd and saw the talks going on.

 _That idiot Kyle not only managed to convince the mayor and the locals that_ _ **we**_ _were the true threat and not the Malcontents. Yeah, OK then. It's totally the RDF's fault that the matrix ended up there. Also, that matrix doesn't matter at all. Pay no attention to it. As long as you're nice to the Malcontents, they won't do a thing and won't take the matrix. Nope, not at all._

The discussion had turned tense after Kyle interjected himself into the issue. Not only had he been able to convince the mayor and the citizens that they would be better off without the RDF guarding the matrix, he nearly touched off a riot when the crowd around the discussion began to make it known that the four pilots were not welcome.

Deciding that four de-planed Veritech pilots against a large, agitated mob was not the best of odds, Rick did the wisest thing in the scenario and decided to pull out. _Wasn't a fan of leaving the matrix practically unguarded, but it was either stick to a point and get lynched or cut my losses and keep my pilots safe._

What compounded the matter was that a few hours later, the same mayor that told Rick and the others that they weren't needed was trying to contact the RDF frantically as the matrix was stolen by forces loyal to Khyron himself. It had not been a pretty scene either as the Malcontents had been a bit deliberate in their causing chaos on the ground and, as it turned out later, were aided by Micronized Zentraedi that were yearning to go back to their old ways.

 _If there was ever a "told ya so" moment, that was it,_ he mused. By the time a detachment could be sent from Fort Klinger, Khyron was long gone with the matrix. The mayor's bluster was replaced with bitter accusations that he had intentionally taken his time to alert the RDF as payback for the events earlier in the day.

Fort Klinger's commander, a Major Pierce, stepped in quickly to keep the situation from getting further out of control. _I have to thank the Major for that, otherwise I probably would have told the mayor off for his idiotic act. Then again, Pierce did light into the guy pretty good once he stepped in._ As he thought of the more inventive terms the fort's commanding officer used to describe the thought patterns of New Detroit's mayor, a smile crossed Rick's face.

 _Shame I didn't include them in the report,_ he thought. _Lisa probably would have gotten a really good laugh out of them, then gone on to lecture me about protocol._

Rick smiled at the fact he also managed to get the After Action Report off while the fighters were refueling at Fort Klinger. _Sure beats spending a few extra hours in my office typing it up._ Rick felt a yawn coming on and tried to stifle it. _Bed is going to feel really nice once I get home._

He found his thoughts drifting towards the familiar face on the TacNet for all the patrols and missions. Sure, he and Macross Command's XO, Captain Lisa Hayes, had their moments where they fought like cats and dogs over trivial things and occasionally intentionally pressed each others buttons to get a reaction. However, Rick knew that he would take all the aggravation that came along. Lisa was the one constant during a stressful situation. She knew how to get the best out of him in most fixes, could guide him in the right direction, and could lighten the mood with a well timed joke or zinger.

 _If there's anyone I can count on, it's Lisa. She's been there. Hell, she was the one to break the news to me that Roy had been killed. And she stayed with me after it all hit me._

Rick's thoughts now turned in another direction, and were much darker.

 _It's quite a bit more than I can say about_ _ **her**_ _._

It was one part of the incident in New Detroit he had not mentioned to anyone on the patrol or in the report. Rick had sent the others back to their fighters as a precaution, giving them orders that if they any move towards him, they were to leave and get to Fort Klinger. Just as they were going back to the Veritechs, he saw the limo door open and saw Minmei come out.

 _It wasn't exactly how I would have scripted our first contact in nearly two years._

However, Minmei wasn't in the mood for a reunion that day. She turned towards the group around Rick. It was then he heard and saw what happened next. In a slurred voice, she yelled out something in Chinese. Whatever it was, it wasn't exactly complimentary.

What sealed it was the sight of Miss Macross hurling a water bottle in his direction. The bottle hadn't even come close, but it did have a good effect. It made Kyle run back to the limo, screaming something dire at her.

Rick took a deep breath and sighed.

 _That wasn't exactly the best of situations to catch up on things..actually, more like hear about every little thing she had done since the day of the attack. But a nod or something would have been nice after 2 years of not seeing someone you supposedly care about._

But the reaction was what stuck with Rick more than anything.

 _I may not understand Chinese, but I know that it wasn't exactly a 'hey, long time no see' from her. At least I wrote down what she said. I'll have to check on that later._

He now found himself thinking back to the last time they had talked, which was on the Observation Deck on the SDF-1 right before the attack on the Zentraedi Fleet.

 _Somehow, that night, I had a feeling that was more of a goodbye than anything. I probably should have left it as such. Still, it's never fun to have your past re-emerge like that._

Rick's dwelling over his personal life was suddenly canceled out by a sharp buzzing coming from the TacNet pickup. Tapping on one of the buttons on the center console brought the screen to life. Rick did a quick double take as he noticed it wasn't who he expected to see on the screen.

"Wolverine Flight, this is Macross Command. Welcome home."

He nodded back in acknowledgment. "Macross Command, this is Wolverine Leader. Glad to be back home. Kinda surprised to see you running the show today, Sammie. Did Lis..I mean Captain Hayes give up the Monday shift?"

"Negative, Commander. She's just in a meeting at the moment. Something about some incident in New Detroit about 48 hours ago."

Rick felt his good mood fade quickly. _If they pulled Lisa off the bridge for this…_

"I see good news travels fast," he responded with a strong hint of sarcasm.

Sammie, to her credit, ignored the attempted joke and continued on. "Commander, you and Wolverine Flight are cleared for landing on Runway 14. Oh, I almost forgot. Colonel Leonard would like to see you in his office at 0900."

Rick felt his stomach drop. Whatever good mood he may have had about returning home completely abandoned him.

"Acknowledged, Macross Command. Wolverine Flight out."

He sighed deeply again. _And this was supposed to be a simple patrol…._


	2. The Thoughtful Spot

Once again, it's Harmony Gold's world...just borrowing for a bit.

 **Chapter Two – The Thoughtful Spot**

Inside of the expanses of Macross Command, a lone figure in a white dress uniform walked through an underground tunnel-way that connected the Command Center with Fokker Base. The woman looked at her wrist, then sighed to herself.

 _1300 hours already?_

Captain Lisa Hayes had just taken a glance at her watch and found herself wondering to herself about the whereabouts of Macross Command's senior pilot. _It's not like Rick to just skip out on meeting up after a patrol like this._

Over the course of the past year, it had been routine for the Executive Officer of Macross Command to meet with the commander of the air wing on base after a patrol run. Most of the time, it was just a chance to review what had come up on the patrols and go over the flight manifests for the next few days so they were both on the same page. Sometimes, the meetings would descend into small talk and joking. Other times, they would rather brief depending how much the pilot had gotten under the skin of the XO or vice versa.

 _Any chance to be around him, I'll take,_ she mused.

This time, though, it was a bit different. As she had noted to herself, it wasn't like Rick to just up and leave after a patrol. She hadn't seen or heard from him since he and the patrol had touched down at Fort Klinger two days ago. She had made sure to schedule herself to be running the bridge when Wolverine Flight returned to base, but events prevented this from happening.

 _I would have had a chance to see and talk to him for a bit, if not for the impromptu meeting that was called right at 0700._ A sly smile came across her face. _Figures he'd be the cause of the meeting too._

Lisa had given thought that he would probably stop by her office before he headed back to his quarters off-base, so she had stayed there, reviewing some paperwork and the AARs for the incident in New Detroit that Rick had sent in during the layover in New Toledo. She had been so engrossed in reading over the reports from Rick and the other pilots that she had lost track of time. Lisa had glanced up at the clock and saw it was 1245 hours and still no sign of Commander Hunter.

The first and most obvious thing she did was call Rick's cell phone. However, it went straight to his voice mail. _He probably forgot to turn it back on,_ she thought.

Next, she checked with the orderly that was situated outside of her office if anyone had stopped by. The orderly responded that nobody had come by at all.

It was at this point she decided not to wait for him any longer and decided to find out where the pilot was.

Her first stop was over at the Officer's Mess Room. A quick check of the mess hall indicated that the Commander wasn't around. However, she did see someone that may have an indication of where he was at the present. Lisa approached one of the tables and sat down across from Lieutenant Commander Tom Wilcox, leader of Rapier Squadron and one the better pilots in the RDF that didn't call Skull Squadron home.

Wilcox, noticing who had sat down at his table, stood up quickly and saluted. "Sorry ma'am. Didn't see you come in."

"At ease, Tom. Didn't mean to startle you like that."

Wilcox returned to his seat. "What brings you over?"

"Seen Commander Hunter around? I needed to talk to him about something."

"Haven't bumped into Rick as of yet. From what the rumor mill is saying, it sounds like he and the Skullies had a bit of a time of it in New Detroit."

Reports had been sketchy, but the attack by the Malcontents on New Detroit had made the news, along with footage of the confrontation between Rick and the mayor. Pundits on the news stations had equally praised Hunter for his cool headedness in handling the deteriorating situation and pulling his pilots out or bashed him for not stepping in and just guarding the matrix over the Mayor's objections.

Lisa nodded. "Not exactly one to write home about."

"Ah well, happens to the best of us. At least none of our guys got dinged up in that mess." Wilcox took a sip out of the glass of iced tea in front of him. "What the hell were they thinking getting out of their birds like that though?"

"I don't think anyone had any idea it was going to go that far south that quickly, Tom. Besides, why spook a large gathering of civilians by staying in the Veritechs?"

Wilcox had to admit she was right on that point. He glanced up at one of the TVs in the mess and saw one of the stations had new footage up. _Hmmm, that guy in Hunter's grill sure looks familiar...well, I'll be damned…_

"Hey, Captain. Take a look at the TV."

Lisa looked over and saw the footage of a very familiar Oriental man pointing a finger at Rick and shouting at him. Rick, to his credit, stood there with his arms crossed, listening. A realization came over her as she watched.

"Lynn Kyle."

"Yep, in the flesh. Wonder how he just managed to show up in New Detroit."

 _Well, Rick sure didn't mention_ _ **that**_ _in the report._ She thought back to what she had been able to catch from the AAR that was currently sitting on her desk. _I'll have to ask why he had referred to him as.._ She shook her head, feeling a headache beginning to spawn. _No, I already know why._

"Well, I'll let you finish up here. Thanks, Tom."

Wilcox saluted. "No problem. Hope Hunter didn't get himself into any more trouble. Sounds like his meeting with Leonard was a doozy."

"How'd you find out about that?"

"Let's just say Baker and Malikowski don't know when to shut up. Dixon already took care of it, ma'am. In his usual manner." A wry smile came across Wilcox's face.

Lisa chuckled. "Knowing Ben, it was loud and not exactly very family friendly. And probably involved some sort of after hours duty. Thanks again, Tom."

A quick salute followed and Lisa made her way to the doors. She made her way down to the office area that the Skulls called home. As she entered into the small reception area, the squadron's insignia was prominently painted on the wall. It was a three playing card hand, with an Ace of spades on the left, an Eight of hearts on the right, and a card with a skull and crossbones in the middle. Around this, a ribbon encircled it with the squadron's motto in Latin, _**Audaces Fortuna Iuvat**_. _Fortune Favors The Bold._

At the desk sat a lonely figure. Lisa looked over and it appeared to be a very chastened Jack Baker, typing away at a laptop and looking over at the phone. Without even missing a beat, Baker quickly responded.

"Can I help you?"

"Good afternoon, Sargent."

Baker heard the familiar voice and shot up quickly into a salute. "Sorry ma'am! Didn't think we were expecting company!"

"Seen your boss around at all?"

"No ma'am. Haven't seen him since the post mission meeting with the Colonel."

"I heard that didn't go so well."

Baker nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't exactly my idea of a good time."

"Next time, Baker, you may want to keep that to yourself and not bring it up in the mess hall. Just a word of friendly advice there. Otherwise, you'll be flying a desk a lot more than a Veritech."

"Yes ma'am. It won't happen again. Believe me, Lieutenant Dixon already read me the riot act. Which is why I'm here I guess. Could be worse though. Screech is currently cleaning the stalls in the locker room."

Lisa winced at that punishment. _I saw it was Taco Day at the mess hall. Malikowski must have really gotten under Dixon's skin._

"Anyways, if Commander Hunter isn't around, who is?"

"Ma'am, I did see Lieutenant Commander Sterling earlier. I can check to see if he's still in his office."

"Please do."

Baker picked up the phone and punched in an extension. "Lieutenant Commander Sterling? Captain Hayes is out here and was wondering if you could spare a few minutes? Sure, I'll send her right in, sir." Baker hung up the phone and nodded to Lisa, which was followed by a salute.

Just as she was about to enter the office, Lisa turned back towards the pilot turned secretary.

"Oh, Baker, I still haven't gotten your AAR from the patrol. You're the only one that hasn't turned one in yet. I expect to see that in my in-box by 1700 today, soldier."

Baker gulped. "Yes ma'am! On it!" He quickly went back to typing away on the laptop on the desk.

Inside of the office area, Lieutenant Commander Max Sterling saw his guest enter and stood up with a quick salute. "Captain."

Lisa once again returned the salute. "Hi Max. How's the new mommy doing?"

"Mir's doing well. She's itching to get back in the air."

"That's not my call on that. She's on limited duty until the doctors clear her to return. I know she wants to get back up there, but well, it's up to them."

"I've tried to tell her this, but well, you know." A knowing smile followed the comment. Zentraedis were not used to the whole experience of childbirth or parenthood. "Not like I'm an expert either. But, I think we've done OK so far. _"_

"And Dana?"

"She's getting ready to start walking. She's come close to taking a step, but nothing yet. She's also getting close to saying her first words. It's been a toss-up between 'mama' or 'dada'."

Lisa smiled. Max and Miriya were genuinely happy together and Dana was a blessing to say the least. _Why is I can picture Rick and myself like this someday?_ A soft sigh followed. _But, it's just a dream. Oh well, nothing saying you're not allowed to._

"So, what brings you by, other than checking up on the family?"

"Seen Rick around at all?"

"Not since he got out of the meeting with Leonard. He didn't look too overly happy. Guess the Ol' Meatgrinder was not happy with how he handled things in New Detroit." The use of Leonard's nickname he earned in the Global Civil War was not exactly a term of endearment as he was not a fan of the air wing. The animosity was returned in kind.

"Well, he hasn't been by my office at all and nobody's seen him down at the mess either."

Max sat back in his chair and thought for a second. He sat back up as he appeared to remember something.

"Captain, I think I have an idea of where he is. You may want to check the hangar bays, especially where Skull One is parked. He tends to head down there when he's got some things on his mind."

 _Makes sense,_ Lisa thought. _It probably reminds him of home and the old Flying Circus. Besides, he's not really the office type._

Lisa stood up from her chair and shook Max's hand. "Thanks for the information. Send my best to Mir and the Lil' Bean," using what had become the Skulls' nickname for their youngest and smallest member.

"Will do, Lisa."

A few minutes later, Lisa was out on the tarmac heading towards one of the hangar areas. From a distance, she could make out the white Veritech with the gold and black trim. As she got closer, she saw a familiar figure lying on one of the wings, looking towards the sky and deep in thought. She also could hear some music coming from the fighter itself. She recognized it as an old 80's British New Wave song. _Not Minmei's Greatest Hits, that's for sure. Must have grabbed Roy's old MP3 player._ She also spotted a six-pack of Petite Cola on the wing that was missing half of its bottles. _Could have been worse, it could have been a case of Old Macross or a bottle of tequila._

Rick, to his credit, had noticed the slender figure in white walking towards him. He had sat up and given a quick salute, which Lisa returned as she reached the fighter.

"So, Rick. When exactly were you planning to stop by my office today?" She accentuated this by doing a mock tapping of her watch with her finger.

"Oh, sorry about that, Lisa. Just had a lot of things on my mind."

Lisa climbed up the ladder and sat down next to Rick on the wing. "So, this is where you go when you have a lot on your mind, huh?"

"Yeah. Everyone's got that one place they can go when they really need to think things out. Kind of a 'thoughtful spot'."

"Makes sense. You grew up around planes and flying, so a hangar would be something that reminds you of home."

Rick nodded.

"Mine was my tree house back on the farm in New York I grew up on. I really don't have one right now, but I would say my office is about as close to a place as I can think of."

Lisa changed gears quickly. "So, I did read what you had to say about the whole New Detroit incident. Sounds like it was a pretty eventful trip."

"Yeah, really great place to plan a vacation to. Fun for the whole family. I heard Khyron gave it five stars." Lisa held back a chuckle at the sarcastic assessment of the city.

Rick continued. "The funny thing is, in the end, I don't feel like I made the right call with the matrix. I should have stuck to my guns and told the Mayor to stuff it and called in the Destroids from Fort Klinger. That way, it would have made it a bit tougher for Khyron to snag the matrix."

"But at what cost, Rick? From what you said in the report, you and your squad were seriously outnumbered by a less than hospitable mob. Bringing in those ground troops may have made an already bad situation even worse. One where the Destroids would have been involved in breaking up a riot instead of protecting the matrix. Also, the civilians could have easily turned on you and your men well before the Destroids arrived." _Plus, the idea of you getting hurt or killed in something like that is something I couldn't face._

Rick maintained a skeptical look while taking in Lisa's assessment. She continued on before he could form a reply. "Rick, decisions are never easy. That's the first thing they tell us at Officer's School. What may seem like a bad decision on paper may be the best call out in the field, or the textbook decision could lead to utter chaos or worse."

A nod from Rick confirmed that the lesson had sunk in.

"Sometimes the popular decision isn't always the best one, Rick."

"And sometimes the right call has you second guessing all the way home and beyond."

"Sometimes. And for the record, both Admiral Gloval and Breetai thought you handled the situation as best you could and commended you for getting the pilots out of there and somewhat defusing things."

"Well, at least I have them in my corner. Leonard, on the other hand."

Lisa sighed. "Colonel Leonard isn't exactly one of the most enlightened of people, Rick. He earned that nickname of Meatgrinder for a reason during the Global Civil War."

"Before we all walked into the dressing down that masqueraded as a briefing, I joked with the other pilots that the over-under on how many times the term 'court martial' would be used was at least five. I stopped counting after he hit ten." This dark joke did get a quick laugh out of Lisa. "At least when Pierce came on and backed me up, he backed off."

Lisa nodded. Pierce's chances of advancing beyond his post at Fort Klinger were pretty much at an end after that. _Crossing the Meatgrinder is never a good idea. Still, good for Pierce though._

Rick took a swig from the bottle of Petite Cola he had with him. "The ignorant jerk was probably wondering why I didn't have Lynn Kyle arrested or shot on the spot."

Lisa looked over at Rick. _Guess the news reports weren't lying. It definitely was him that was egging the civilians on._ She thought over what the comment had implied. _Where there's one…_

"You never mentioned Lynn Kyle was there in the report."

"Didn't think it would have looked too good for The Mighty Kung Fu Star to be named in an RDF report actively trying to incite a riot." _Or actively advertise how screwed up my personal life is at the moment._

"Someone got a good chunk of it on tape. It was just on MBS News about 20 minutes before I came over here."

"Great. Nothing like making an appearance on the news getting chewed out by a drunken hippie."

"You know, that would mean..."

Rick knew where this discussion was about to head. _Not the time or place, Lisa._ He gave her a look that spoke volumes: _Drop the subject!_

 _Well, that just confirmed that little bit of news,_ she thought. _She_ _ **was**_ _there too._

"Don't really want to get into it right now, Lisa."

She looked over at him, slightly offended at the stand-offishness of the answer. "What exactly hap…?"

Rick cut her off immediately. "Lisa, please drop it. I don't want to talk about it right now."

 _Shields just went up on full,_ she observed. _Minmei was definitely there in New Detroit. However, he's not going to say a word about it, but something happened to put him in this mood._ _And whatever it was, it had to be something pretty horrid to elicit a reaction like that. It's bad enough the little pop tart has him wrapped around her little finger._

Lisa looked over at Rick and felt a bit of understanding. _He looks I do after he's done something incredibly stupid. At least I know with Rick, it's not intentional most of the time. At least I'd like to think that._

She sighed with a sense of resignation at the current situation. "Well, Commander. I won't impose any longer. I think I'd better head on back to my office and see if Baker got his AAR over to me finally." She carefully lowered herself off of the wing and started to make her way back towards the base.

"Lisa, wait!"

She stopped for a second and saw that Rick had also gotten off the wing and had caught up to her rather quickly.

"Look, I'm sorry if I've been a bit touchy about some things that happened recently. It's just some things I need to sort out and I really don't want to take it out on you seeing all you're trying to do is help out."

Lisa noticed Rick had grabbed her hand to stop her from walking away. She felt a sensation of butterflies in her stomach from his touch.

"All I'm saying is that I'm grateful you've been there to hear me out when things have gotten rough."

"It's not a problem, Rick. I'm always willing to help my friends out," she responded with a hint of a smile. _Well, not all of them, Rick. You, I'd drop everything to hear you out. That should be a slight hint here, flyboy. Hope you pick up on that._

"I just do an awful job of showing how much it's appreciated," he added sheepishly. Lisa could only nod at this comment. _Understatement of the century, Rick,_ she thought. _If I didn't love you, I would have told you go out and play in traffic a long time ago._

Rick hesitated for a second as he tried to formulate as to what he wanted to say next. "Well...er...um...uh.."

Lisa felt her heart pounding against her chest. _Maybe he had some sort of epiphany on that wing._

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rick finally gathered what he wanted to say together and continued. "I was wondering, to make it up to you for all the times I've acted like a jerk, how about dinner sometime? I can kind of cook."

Lisa could have sworn she felt her heart skip a beat or two. _Well, in for a penny..._

"Why Commander Hunter, are you asking me on a date?" A half coy, half mischievous smile came across Lisa's face.

Rick gulped. "NNNNNNN...Not exactly. Just a way of saying thanks."

"Hmmm. I may have to take you up on this at some point." _That reaction kind of told me where I think I stand here. Besides, you're really cute when you get flustered like that._

She glanced at her watch. "You've been here long enough. Don't you have a home? Go get some rest, mister."

He was about to protest, but the yawn that came out confirmed that Lisa was probably right on this one.

"I can swing by your office with the manifest tomorrow. I do know that you don't head back out on patrol until Friday."

"I'm guessing going home is a direct order?"

Lisa nodded. "I'll call the MP's in if you don't."

 _She's either messing with me or is serious. Opting for the messing with me view, but you never know._ "No need to scramble the MP's. I'll be heading home in a few."

As she watched as he made his way towards the Ready Room, she could only think that things between Rick and herself. _I've waited this long. Might as well see this through. What's the worst that happens? He shoots me down like I was a fighter pod. But somehow, I don't think that's going to happen._ She started to make her way back towards the office complex with a smile.


	3. First Act

To the reviews...

 **Lizzyrick** \- Glad you're enjoying it. Jealousy will play a part in things going forward as well. As to where it comes from, well, that's between my Fic Muse and myself for the time being :)

 **Drumskinny** \- Thanks! The two year gap in the storyline between Force Of Arms and Reconstruction Blues leaves some great possibilities for Rick  & Lisa. Also, trying to cram 3 seasons of Macross into 1 season of Robotech meant some things kind of got skipped or gleaned over. More fodder for us authors, I guess.

 **jag389** \- Thanks! This has been rolling around in my mind for quite a while. Expect a few twists, turns, barrel rolls, and an occasional Daedalus Maneuver in this one.

And now, on to the next installment...

* * *

 **Chapter Three – First Act**

"How much longer is this damn ride going to take? We're way behind schedule as it is!"

It was a refrain that Xamdar had heard all too often.

The half-drunken, half-sleepily request was one that been repeated over and over again since leaving New Detroit three days prior, and it was starting to get under the Micronized Zentraedi's skin. Xamdar had only taken this job due to who he would be driving around and what they meant to many of his kind. It was a job with status among his friends and acquaintances.

Before this, he had been a loyal warrior of the Zentraedi armies, unleashing destruction upon the enemies of Dolza and the Robotech Masters. However, the battle with the Micronians had been different. The ongoing outreach and exposure to Micronian culture had caused many of the Zentraedi question their purpose and the purpose of continuous warfare. Xamdar was among those that had. Once the final battle concluded and Dolza's fleet had been defeated by The Voice Of Freedom, he decided to go through with the Micronization process so he could learn more about the race of beings that had bested the best the galaxy had to offer. Helping the victors rebuild was also a way of penance for losing the war as well.

Or at least, that's what Xamdar wanted people to believe, especially his current employers.

The truth was that Xamdar was still fully loyal to the only Zentraedi that he felt deserved his respect, Khyron. Breetai, in his eyes, was a traitor and should be liquidated at the first opportunity. He still wasn't sure as to why Khyron kept Azonia around, as she hadn't had much luck against the Micronians. However, when this job opportunity came up through an acquaintance, he could hardly believe his luck. Xamdar was not much of a plotter, but he did relay this news to Khyron himself. The Backstabber was impressed by his luck and started to put together a plan that would bring the Micronians to their knees if successful.

 _These Micronians are really gullible to begin with. Then again, I think it helps that these two ply themselves with all sorts of mind-numbing stimulants. It's made things much easier. Besides, the Micronians never even realized I was the one that gave Lord Khyron the intel about the matrix being in that pathetic excuse for a town. The Micronian pilot showing up made things a lot easier as well seeing that my one employer subscribes to this weak "pacifism" belief. I'll have to thank that pilot if I ever see him._

A more profane version of the oft-asked question snapped Xamdar back to reality. He reverted to his role of dutiful driver to the stars without missing a beat.

"We should be reaching New Denver in about two hours, sir. We'll have to make one more stop as the tran..I mean limo is getting low on fuel."

A half muttered "OK" was all that came from the back of the limo.

 _Very soon, I won't have to deal with this constantly inebriated Micronian boor for much longer. The early intel told me that the Sorceress wouldn't be an easy target, but at the rate she joins in with the other one, it may be much easier than expected. Revenge is coming, Micronians._

About fifteen minutes later, the limo approached a gas station. _Perfect. This is the place,_ Xamdar thought. _It's isolated, so that helps matters as well._ He took a look around at the station. There were about eight self-serve pumps and a convenience store attached. _No real security here at all. Just the lone attendant._

Xamdar opened the door and made his way over to the back seat doors, opening one on the passenger side. Out of the back of the limo stumbled Lynn Kyle. He smiled as he breathed in the fresh air. "Where the hell are we, Xamdar?"

"About ninety minutes east of New Denver, sir. Do you or Miss Minmei need anything from inside?"

"I should be OK. All I really need to do is take a leak. Where's the bathroom?"

"I think it's inside, sir."

Xamdar watched as Kyle staggered off towards the entrance. However, he ended up veering off course and made his way towards the back of the convenience store and some bushes. Xamdar heard an audible zip and the trickling of water, or in this case, something akin to water. He could only shake his head. _And they call_ _ **us**_ _uncultured_ , he thought with a tinge of disgust.

Xamdar peeked in to the back seat and saw that Minmei was passed out and snoring. Around her were a few cordial bottles of various liqueurs along with a number of whiskey bottles. _They're making this too easy. Intoxicated targets are easier to handle than those that have their wits about them._

Just then, he saw Kyle staggering back towards the limo, smiling. "Wow, do I feel much better after that. Hang on, Xamdar. I'm gonna go in and get something for the rest of the trip." He leaned into the limo. "Hey Minmei! Sweetheart! You want anything?"

"Unnnghhh.."

"OK, I'll take that as a no then. Be right back!"

Xamdar could only smile as he watched his well lubricated employer stagger back towards the convenience store. Keeping an eye on the pump, Xamdar looked around. _No better time to contact them than now._

He proceeded to pull out something that appeared to look like a cellphone. Flipping it open, he punched in a specific code. The screen came to life with the image of another Zentraedi, but in full uniform.

"Ah, Xamdar. I didn't expect to hear from you so swiftly."

"Plans have changed, Grel. If we want to go ahead with the operation, there's no better time. I'm sending you the coordinates now."

Xamdar tapped a button on the device. A few seconds later, a small pinging noise confirmed that the information had been successfully transmitted over.

"Perfect. I'll let the strike team know of your location. They should be there in a few minutes."

"Excellent. Let Lord Khyron and Lady Azonia know that we're proceeding."

"I will. For the glory of the Zentraedi!"

"For the Zentraedi!"

The device went silent and shut off automatically. Xamdar carefully checked around the area of the car and saw all was quiet. He placed the device back in one of his jacket pockets. He checked the other pocket and felt something in there. A smile crossed his face as he confirmed what was there. _Just a matter of time before they arrive._ He turned and made his way towards the convenience store.

Back in the limo, Lynn Minmei was starting to come to after sleeping off the after effects of what was becoming a more troubling routine. The constant grind of touring was starting to take its toll on The Voice of Freedom. Sure, fame had come quickly on the SDF-1 after winning the Miss Macross pageant. That had been the leap she needed to become a star. She also could bank on the fact that her singing was a big part of the RDF's victory over the Zentraedi fleet as well. However, the post-war time had her finding herself questioning the price of fame and all the lauding from the public.

 _I've got it all. Fame, a career, fortune, adoring fans,_ she thought. _But, are you_ _ **really**_ _happy anymore, Minmei? It's great to have everything you ever wanted, but it's also a lonely life when you don't have that someone to share it with._

Initially, it had been great having Kyle along with her on the journey as he was family to an extent. He made it his mission to watch over her, guide her, and protect her interests. However, after the last big battle and the return to Earth, she noticed a change in him.

 _All he does is boss me around, get nasty, and then apologize for being a jerk. He's not understanding that I've hit my limit._

She had also changed as well. No longer was she the outgoing, bubbly sweetheart of the SDF-1. A darker side had started to emerge once she had returned from Earth. Rumors had swirled about how she was away from the spotlight and especially backstage at concerts. More often than not, she had found solace in a bottle or someone's bed, more often both.

 _Kyle does have his jealous moments when it comes to that. Then again, he has made those advances before..._

Then came New Detroit.

 _He should have stayed in the car. But, Kyle being Kyle just_ _ **had**_ _to get involved. All it did was get the crowd fired up even more. The pilots were just there doing their job. I should have stayed in the car too, but after the last shot of Jameson, even I was frustrated with what was going on. Just frustrated with everything._

That had led to her getting out of the limo, looking over the scene, and spotting a lone pilot standing in the middle of a growing mob. Crossing a line she would have never contemplated a year ago, she let her frustrations take hold and she had taken it out on the poor pilot, cursing him out and tossing a bottle in his direction.

It was only much later when she saw the news reports that she realized who the pilot was.

Rick Hunter.

 _I didn't expect him to be there. And I really didn't expect to have a reaction like that. He definitely heard me, although I should be somewhat thankful he doesn't speak Chinese. But he did notice the bottle heading in his direction._

She had been in a state of self-medication since finding out that Rick had borne the brunt of her frustrations that day in New Detroit. It also motivated her more to want to take some time off from the constant touring. She had brought the idea up to Kyle the day after. All she got for her efforts was a slap across the face and a dire warning to not bring it up again.

 _He apologized later, but still. I need to hit the reset button on things._ She felt tears starting to well in her eyes. _Rick, I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me._

A deep sigh escaped her, along with a tear or two.

 _Someone once said you don't know what you've got until it's gone. They were right on that. You had a really good thing sitting right in front of you, Minmei. But you took it for granted, always expecting him to be there. Well, he's not here now. Where did that get you?_

An idea began to take shape. Instead of pushing it down, she allowed it to blossom.

 _It may not be totally lost. Maybe after this last show in New Denver, I can take a much needed break and head back to New Macross. I can go talk to Rick and let him know that what happened in New Detroit was a mistake. I can tell him that he does matter to me, and that I want to be with him now and forever._

She looked out the window and saw Kyle making his way back towards the limo with a paper bag. _Looks like the Mighty Dragon got some more confidence juice,_ she joked darkly. She also saw Xamdar coming out of the store with a bottle of water and reaching for something in his pocket.

 _Finally, we can get going again. The sooner we get to New Denver and finish that show, the sooner I can tell Kyle and the public to take a hike, go home, and get Rick back once and for all._

She was deep in the thought of going into hiding and resetting her life that she never noticed the white van that pulled up at the pump next to the limo. Nor did she notice the three figures that got out of the van and made their way towards the convenience store entrance.

Xamdar saw the three men walk towards him. He made a slight nod towards one as he headed inside.

What happened next took Minmei by total surprise.

One of the men came up behind Kyle and was holding something in his hand. _Who is this guy and what is he thinking? Is he insane or just really stupid? If he's going to mug Kyle, it's going to end in an ass kicking, even if Kyle's drunk._

However, Kyle never got a chance to turn around. The man planted something against his back and squeezed. A blue light enveloped Kyle and he fell to the ground, motionless.

"KYLE!"

In an instant, Minmei had opened the door to the limo and had scampered out, trying to outrun the two other men from the van. However, she only got about twenty or so meters beyond the gas pumps when the heel of her left shoe decided to break, sending the pop star clattering to the ground rather awkwardly.

 _Ugh, these Sammy Yang's are_ _ **not**_ _made for running. Probably should have taken them off before trying to escape these…_

It was too late as the two men stood before her. The third man came up from behind and she could feel something against her back. Almost instantly, the same blue light that had enveloped Kyle mere minutes earlier now did the same to Minmei. She dropped to the ground in a heap, just as unconscious as Kyle.

Xamdar smiled and took out the communication device and punched in the same code as earlier. The device came back to life and the image of the same Zentraedi came up on the display.

"It is done. Bringing the surprise packages back for Lord Khyron and Lady Azonia as requested."

"Very good. I will let them know."

The communicator went dead. Xamdar went back over to the limo and popped open the trunk. Inside of the trunk was a cylindrical object. He walked over and tapped a few buttons. A small display on the object showed the number "30" in bright red. Smiling, he closed the trunk and locked it.

The other men had been busy putting the limp bodies of Lynn Kyle and Minmei into the back of the van. Once secured, they locked the back and got in the side doors. Xamdar hopped into the passenger seat and turned to the driver.

The man behind the wheel looked over at his colleague in the passenger seat.

"The attendant?"

"Not among the living anymore. Drive."

As they pulled out, Xamdar hit a button on the key fob for the limo. In the trunk, the display started to change. _29..28..27.._

As the van started to make its way off towards an unknown destination, Xamdar and the others saw a bright light in the distance behind them in the rear view mirrors, followed by a muffled rumble and a steady flickering growing fainter as they moved further away.

 _No witnesses. No evidence. Plus, they're not expected in New Denver until tomorrow. Gives us a standard day head start._ A broad smile crossed Xamdar's face. _This couldn't have gone any better._


	4. Paradigm Shift

OK, before we get back to the story, have a review to cover...

 **StevenM** \- Thanks! The quick updates are due to having a bunch of the story already fleshed out and typed out (the doc file it resides on is at over 70 pages already and we're not even to the good stuff yet). The pace may drop a bit as time goes along, but I'm aiming for at least a chapter or two every few days as things go forward.

As always, reviews are welcome. Let me know how I'm doing.

And now, the next installment...

* * *

 **Chapter Four – Paradigm Shift**

Rick was sitting in his office at Fokker Base, trying his best to keep his mind off of the events in New Detroit. However, he was finding this to be rather difficult. More often than not, he would find himself going through the timeline of what happened and would find himself stopping at the one moment that had defined the whole affair.

It wasn't the Mayor changing his mind on the flip of a switch. It also wasn't Lynn Kyle getting all preachy and nearly touching off a serious riot. It wasn't even the fact that Khyron had managed to get the matrix shortly after the patrol squad had left.

It was when Minmei had shouted something at him and then lobbed a bottle in his general direction.

Rick started to rub his temples. _I can just feel a headache coming on. And it's going to have Minmei written all over it._

He stared down at a crumpled piece of paper on the desk. He looked over what was on it. _Ah, the statement heard round the world. Do I even want to know what she said exactly?_

Curiosity got the better of him. He got on the computer and surfed over to a translation site and entered the comment into one box. Taking a deep breath, he moved the cursor over the box that said "English" and then clicked on the mouse.

Rick's eyes widened considerably when he read over the translation. He read over it, re-read it, and read it again for a third time to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Rick had a feeling what was said wasn't exactly complimentary, but the translation showed him how much his stock had apparently fallen.

 _First time you see me in over two years and_ _ **that's**_ _how you greet me? Telling me to do_ _ **that**_ _?_

He noticed a little ceramic bear with an RDF helmet on it, which was a tacky gift Minmei had gotten for him years ago. Feeling a sense of growing anger towards the purchaser of the gift, Rick threw it against the wall with a bit more force than he intended. The statue not only shattered against the wall, but a new dent appeared where the bear made its impact.

It was that point the radio station he was listening to either had a perverse sense of humor or just bad timing, as the opening bars of one of Minmei's standards began to pour through the speakers. Without as much as a second thought, Rick quickly changed the station to the first thing he could find. _Not in the mood to listen to that today, or anytime in the near future._ It just happened to land on a rock station. _Decidedly angry song too. Definitely fits my mood at the moment._

He gazed up towards the ceiling of the office.

 _Man, was I a fool for thinking she ever cared for anyone or anything other than herself and her stardom. New Detroit proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. A riot is about to break out and all she can do is start cursing out everyone in sight because she's going to be late to a show? Not that the show was all that special to begin with._

At this point, his thoughts began to turn in a different direction.

 _Lisa._

A small smile creased his face and he began to feel headache that was coming start to fade.

 _Yeah, we can fight over the smallest and most petty things. We can tick each other off like nobody's business one day and joke around the next. However, when it really matters, she's been there. Through the good times and the really awful ones, Lisa's been one you can count on. Plus, she's got a wicked sense of humor, and, you have to admit, she does look pretty good in that uniform. Face it, Hunter. She's the complete package. Humor, smarts, and good looks._

The train of thought that was starting to form was broken by a sharp knock at his office door.

"Come in, it's open."

The door opened up and he saw Max Sterling and Ben Dixon standing in the hallway. Ben was the first to start speaking.

"Heya, boss! I didn't bump into you after you got back yesterday. Figured you'd already had taken off for home."

"I was here for a little bit, but yeah, I was home pretty early." Rick turned his attention towards Max. "So, Max, I have you to thank for letting Lisa know when I need to think, I end up in the hangar sitting on the wing of my Veritech, huh?"

"Well, Rick, she was looking for you and all. If I wasn't supposed to say..."

"Don't worry about it. Matter of fact, I didn't mind one bit."

"Anyways, I was just about to head back to check on Mir and Dana. I also figured Ben here should swing over to get his AAR to you."

"He actually beat you to the punch on that, Max. It was sitting in my in-box this morning when I came in." Rick looked over at Ben. "Have to say you did a good job with some of the new pilots."

"Thanks, Rick. A four day patrol is pretty rough. The kids didn't do a bad job. Also helped that the Zents decided to take a few days off. Guess they heard Ben The Malcontent Masher was in town."

Rick felt his eyes starting to roll at that comment. "Well, a quiet patrol is a good patrol. Besides, I remember your first dance with a Zent, Ben."

"Oh come on, I had the guy all the way."

Max smiled. "More like, _**I**_ had him all the way and you just got in the way."

Ben ignored the good-natured dig of his wingman and friend and turned to Rick. "So, how was New Detroit?"

Rick let loose an exasperated sigh. "Don't ask."

"Had a feeling it didn't go so well. Plankton and Screech were going on about it in the mess and how the debrief with the Meatgrinder went down. I kinda had to come down on the kids a bit."

"So that's why Baker was at the front desk. What was Screech's fate, or do I even want to know?"

"Latrine duty."

Rick whistled. "Cleaning the latrines on Taco Day? That's got to be against the Geneva Convention in some way."

"That's because Screech wouldn't shut up, even after I came over. Plankton, to his credit, stopped as soon as I showed up. At least he had common sense."

Rick started to laugh. "Never thought I'd see the day Ben Dixon would be lecturing someone about common sense."

Ben looked over in mock anger. "Boss, you are one to talk about that, you know."

Rick nodded. "Guilty as charged."

Max was doing his best to not burst out laughing during the whole debate between his two good friends.

Ben at this point had made his way over to the couch. "Mind if I turn on the TV, boss?"

"Sure. Did you forget to pay the cable company again?" It was a running joke between the three good friends about Ben's constant amnesia attacks when a cable bill came due.

"Look, I meant to pay them. I had the check all set to go. Not my fault I left it on my kitchen counter and was out on a four day patrol."

Rick looked over at Max and gave a sarcastic OK, causing the blue haired pilot to start laughing.

The laughter ended as a graphic came over the TV screen and a voice over began.

"This is a special report from MBS News. Breaking news into our New Macross newsroom. Reigning Miss Macross and universally acclaimed star Lynn Minmei has been reported missing after failing to appear at a concert date in New Denver last evening. Also missing is her manager and confidant Lynn Kyle. The two were last seen in New Chicago three nights ago, heading towards New Denver. Their limousine driver has been reported as missing as well. This is a developing story and we will update as we learn new details. We now return you to your regular programming."

A long silence followed as the three pilots were processing the news that had just come across. Max and Ben found themselves looking directly at Rick. Rick, however, did not have much of a reaction to the news, but had one towards the stares coming from his friends.

"What? So Minmei missed a concert. It's not like a pop star has never done something like that before. Not really worthy of the whole 'breaking news' fanfare if you ask me. Must be a slow newsday."

The comment had Ben and Max looking at each other, then back at Rick, who was nonchalantly sitting back in his chair at his desk.

"Oh, I get it, you guys think I'd be beside myself at hearing news like that. Strangely, I find myself pretty much not caring at the moment. It screams publicity stunt. She goes AWOL for a while, takes a 'vacation' and comes back in a few months. It's not like she showed up in a barber shop and took a pair of clippers to her hair or anything."

Once again, the other pilots in the room looked at each other in utter disbelief.

 _Rick's done nothing but pine over her for the last two plus years, yet when she may be in legit danger, he reacts like this,_ Max thought. _There must have been more than met the eye with New Detroit._

Ben, however, didn't internalize what was on his mind. "Wow, Rick. Never knew you had it in you, especially when it came to Minmei. I mean, you've had a torch for her since I first met you, and now, it's like you couldn't care less if she fell off the face of the Earth."

"Uh, Rick," Max added. "This reaction. It wouldn't have anything to do with what happened in New Detroit, would it?"

Rick nodded. "It does, Max. It has a lot to do with what happened there."

Ben looked over at his commanding officer and friend. "So, what happened? Inquiring minds want to know, Boss."

Rick rose from his desk.

"First, promise me you won't speak a word of this to anyone."

The other two pilots nodded in agreement as Rick walked to the middle of the office, turning off the TV in the process.

"You guys know what happened out there with the mayor and everyone's favorite raging alcoholic, Lynn Kyle. How he decided to become the beacon of freedom and start yelling at me. That whole mess. Well, while I was being covered in the scent of cheap whiskey and poor life choices, someone else decided to come out of the car."

Max nodded. "Three guesses as to who that was."

Ben also added a nod. "Where one is, the other ain't too far behind. Kinda creepy in a way, ya know?"

"It's enough to make your skin crawl just thinking about that, Ben," Rick added before continuing the narrative. "Anyways, you kinda figured out who decided to show up. Well, I caught her out of the corner of my eye and she was in full rant about something. She kind of looked over towards me and then decided to deliver this inspiring comment in her native language."

Rick turned the monitor around to the others. Both Max and Ben read the translation of what Minmei had said and shook their heads. Max added a whistle after reading over the contents. Rick continued on.

"Oh, it gets even better than that. After that lovely crafted declaration of devotion from our now-missing pop queen, she had an even brighter idea. She decided to lob a water bottle in my general direction to kind of underline her point. Thankfully she couldn't hit the SDF-1 if she was standing two feet in front of it. However, at that point, I realized it was time to go."

"Makes those fights with the Captain look tame by comparison."

"The only saving grace I have is that she can't throw anything through the TacNet at me."

Ben smiled. "Yet."

Max laughed at the comment. "Speaking of the Captain, does she even know about this happening? I doubt you mentioned it in the AAR."

"No, she doesn't. And yes, it's not in the AAR. She tried to get it out of me yesterday, but I kinda deflected the discussion about it for right now," Rick added a sigh. "I had to think things could have been awkward after two years of not seeing one another, but I didn't exactly bet on _**that**_ happening."

Max shook his head. "Well, if she finds out before you tell her, the Captain is going to go through the roof."

Rick sat back down, rubbing his temples. The headache that had been leaving was starting to come back. "I just have to find the right time and way to explain it."

"I'm sure if you explain it as you just did here and show what was said, I'm sure she'd understand. Ben and I have been around you and her enough over the past few years to understand how you both are. You and the Captain make a great team, unless you've done something to get on her bad side."

Ben shot in at this point. "Then it gets entertaining!"

"Laugh it up, Dixon."

"Boss, Max is right. You and the Captain are usually on the same wavelength. We all see it. However, you just have a knack of getting under her skin."

"Why does everyone always assume it's my fault?"

Max and Ben both started to laugh at this lament.

Rick continued. "Anyways, thinking a bit more about this, I was pretty, no scratch that, very foolish to think there was ever anything between Minmei and myself. I kinda did walk away right before the attack on Dolza's fleet, thinking that was gonna be it for us and pretty much all of humanity. We managed to pull that one out of the bag and well, I didn't see or hear from her afterwords."

Max pondered this for a second. "That should have told you something."

"It did, but I kind of ignored it. New Detroit kind of made it sink in."

Max glanced at the clock in the office. "Well, I hate to leave on such a down note, but I do have a wife and child to get home to. And if I don't get home soon, well, Ben gets a promotion."

Rick nodded. Ticking off a Zentraedi, Micronized or not, was not exactly a wise course of action. Combine with it the stresses of handling the care of a small child just compounded it.

"Thanks for swinging by, and letting me vent a bit."

Ben smiled. "No prob, boss! Its what we do as wingmen. Alright, guess that's my cue to leave as well, seeing Max is my ride home."

Friendly waves followed and the two pilots left. Rick glanced at the time and figured it may be time to head on home himself. Before leaving, he opened up his email and copied the contents from the translation site and sent a message to his personal account. A slight vibration on his cellphone confirmed the message had arrived.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Rick was back at his house off-base, looking over some things in his bedroom. Mostly, he was looking towards one corner of his bedroom that was dominated with a large poster of one Lynn Minmei. Around the poster were other items that he had been given to him by Minmei herself or he had picked up. Lisa had seen this at one time when she had stopped by with a manifest report and had snarkily dubbed it "The Shrine". _I've kept this stuff up way longer than I should have,_ he thought. _Maybe its time to remodel things here a bit._ He connected up the MP3 player he had to his laptop and started playing some music while starting on this new mission.

He went into the closet and found an empty plastic storage tote and brought it out over by the Shrine area. Slowly, the items found their way from the wall and display case nearby and into the tote. Within about thirty minutes, the area was completely empty, the contents sitting in the tub. He had moved Roy's old "thinking cap" over to the top of the display case. _Fitting place for that,_ he thought.

Just then, Rick felt his phone buzz. He looked at the notification. _Reminder – MinmeiCon at Macross Convention Center Tomorrow 10 AM._

A plan began to take shape in Rick's head shortly after reading the notification. Thinking quickly, he pulled out two or three items from the tub and put them off to the side. _Going to have make another stop on the way home after this tomorrow._ He then opened up one of the photo albums he had in the room. Going through, he started taking out pictures and feeding them into a shredder wastebasket by his desk. He saw one particular picture and placed it on the desk.

The CD's met the shredder next. _Not like I'm going to listen to any of these ever again._

As he was continuing on with the impromptu cleanup, a particular song started playing. Inspired by the song in question, Rick opened up his cellphone and tapped on a contact.

"Hi, Lisa? I was wondering, feel like meeting up for coffee or something tomorrow? Was thinking a little later in the day because I have some errands to run. Groceries, among other things. Ah, that actually works out. There's a Sundollar Coffee over at Russo and 17th, that's within walking distance of here. 3 PM? Works for me. See ya then!"

With that, Rick went over to his desk and went on to his laptop. Within minutes, he was printing off something and placing it into an envelope with a photo. He sealed the envelope and wrote something on the front and then placed it with the items he had separated from the other mementos he had.

 _Tomorrow is going to be a pretty interesting day to say the least. I think Lisa would have a heart attack if she saw that The Shrine no longer existed._


	5. Girl Talk

**Chapter Five – Girl Talk**

About the same time Rick was in his office getting a visit from Max and Ben, Lisa sat in her office over in another wing of the sprawling Macross Command complex. She was in the process of reviewing the latest recon reports from the RDF's air wing and comparing them with the AAR's from Commander Hunter and the other pilots.

Currently, she was reviewing a report from Thunder Squadron as they had been tasked to check one of the last known route the Malcontents had taken after the New Detroit raid.

" _No signs of any Malcontent activity in the quadrants patrolled since the raid by Khyron on New Detroit three days ago,"_ she read. _Not exactly the news I wanted to hear._

A frustrated sigh escaped Lisa after re-reading the passage. _Just wonderful. He got clean away with that matrix. And we scanned every last square meter along his supposed path out of New Detroit._

She went back to Rick's AAR regarding the original incident again. She focused in again on the portion regarding the "unnamed civilian" inciting the locals and convincing the mayor of the city on the course of action that caused the matrix to be taken in the first place. _Are you that thoughtless when it comes to things like this? You nearly touched off a riot and almost got four pilots killed just to make a political point._

Seeing that Kyle had been there pretty much confirmed that someone else was there too. And that bit of news only got Lisa's anger up even more.

 _And, as for you, Miss Macross, I don't know what you said or did to Rick, but it was definitely not one of your brighter ideas._

She shook her head. _Of all the fighter jocks you could have fallen for, you fell for one that has a crush on a selfish little brat of a pop star._

Pushing aside the thoughts of her competition, Lisa focused back in on the prize at hand.

 _Still, it's worth it. He's worth it. Even if he does drive me insane at times, Rick's got me. Would be nice if he'd actually pick up on that._

A knock at her office door brought her out of her quasi-daydream.

"It's open."

The door swung open and Lisa saw Claudia Grant, one of her closest confidants on the bridge walk through. "I had a feeling you'd still be here," she said. Looking over at the clock, she added, "Shouldn't you be going home?"

Lisa looked up and saw the clock. "I should be. I've been going over some of the reports from the last recon patrols we had out in the New Detroit area. Nothing is adding up at all. I mean, we had a track of where Khyron was heading once he snagged the matrix, but there's been nothing at all going on. It's too quiet."

Claudia raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you exactly sure that's not all of it?"

Lisa scowled. "Not exactly."

"Would it have to possibly do with a certain Wing Commander we know and love?"

The look on Lisa's face answered Claudia's question without a doubt. "Had a feeling that may have been the case. I guess we should maybe go somewhere and talk this one over. Preferably somewhere that has wine around."

Lisa smiled. "Might as well stay here. Check the mini-fridge."

Claudia opened the small refrigerator over in the corner. Inside was a chilling bottle of Lisa's personal favorite. Lisa continued. "The advantages of rank, Claudia. Glasses are over on the bookshelf along with the corkscrew."Within minutes, Claudia had opened up the wine and poured two liberal sized portions into the glasses.

"So, I guess Rick didn't entirely tell the whole story with what happened in New Detroit."

Lisa nodded. "In the AAR, he had said he had been accosted by an 'unknown civilian'. However, the video that was on the news afterwords confirmed it was Lynn Kyle. He's not that hard to pick out of a crowd."

Claudia rolled her eyes at the thought of Lynn Kyle. "Nothing like trying to cause a riot to get your point across. Have to give Rick a ton of credit for not decking him during that tirade. I know myself and I probably would have taken a swing at him."

"You're not the only one. And I agree, Rick had the patience of a saint in that situation."

"So, with Lynn Kyle in town, that could only mean..."

Lisa quickly finished the statement. "Miss Macross herself made a cameo appearance."

Claudia whistled. "So, after two years, Minmei rears her head. I guess Rick was happy to see her."

Lisa shook her head. "I really don't know to be honest. I tried to ask him about it after he got back, but he wasn't in the mood to bring it up. Whatever happened, he's not talking about it. All I do know was he had the same look I've been told I have after he's gone and put his foot in his mouth. That whole 'gee, thank you for stomping on my heart' look."

"I'd be willing to bet that the Voice Of Freedom did something really stupid on her part."

Lisa nodded in agreement. "That's my view on it as well. Something happened between Rick and Minmei in New Detroit that he's not letting in on. Suspecting something happened is one thing, but getting him to spill the beans as to what happened is another."

"He may be trying to sort this out on his own. I would think that would give you some hope here."

Lisa was about to continue when the radio that was playing in the background had something come up regarding some breaking news. Lisa motioned to Claudia to turn up the radio.

"Well, there is breaking news from MBS News regarding our own Miss Macross, Lynn Minmei. It appears that she is reported missing after failing to appear at a concert in New Denver a few nights ago. There aren't any more details than that right now, but we'll be keeping an eye on this story. We'll go back to the music now, but with something to let the icon know we're keeping her in our thoughts. Here's 'To Be In Love' by the one and only Minmei here on MacrossOne..."

Claudia quickly shut the radio off before the first bar hit the speakers, knowing how much of a fan Lisa was of Minmei's music.

Lisa, however, found her mind wandering. _If Rick heard that news, someone is going to have to peel him off the ceiling._

Claudia, after processing the news, was the first to speak. "Well, that's an interesting development."

"A development that won't go over very well in some circles. I figure Rick will be calling soon to see when exactly we can start forming the search parties," Lisa remarked darkly.

She took another sip from the glass. "He already wasn't in a great mood, but this may add to it." _Gonna have to walk around on eggshells around him for a while, otherwise the next spat on TacNet could be one that gets remembered for quite a long time._ She found herself thinking back to one particularly nasty spat a few months prior that led Ben Dixon to chime in with what had become a legendary quote among the RDF's fighter jocks: _"Get yo' popcorn ready!"_

 _Have to admit, it was a good one liner, but it was also kinda sad in that everyone can see a fight coming. I don't get much enjoyment out of it. Hopefully he feels the same way, although at times, I can't tell._

"I just don't get it, Claudia. One minute, he can be a charming, dashing, funny guy that I'm crazy about, then he can annoy me to no end the next." A very frustrated sigh followed this assessment.

"Sounds about the same as Roy and myself when we first got together."

Lisa perked up a bit. It had been quite a while since Claudia had mentioned Roy. The loss of her beloved still pained her long after the event happened.

"It wasn't always rainbows, unicorns, and puppy dogs all the time between us. At first, it would go from Roy being one of the most charming guys I ever met to him doing something incredibly thoughtless. There would be days I would go from wanting to spend the rest of my life with him one minute to wanting to ring his neck the next. He had a real talent for getting under my skin, which happened a lot more often than I ever let on. I'd stay mad for a day or two, he'd get the hint, do something incredibly sweet, I'd forgive him. Lather, rinse, repeat."

"Sounds familiar in the whole wanting to ring his neck aspect. I've tried before, but the TacNet doesn't allow me to do that yet. I've flipped off the screen after its gone dark a few times, as you know."

Claudia giggled a bit at this. "Been there, done that, sister."

She took another sip of the wine and continued. "Just give Rick some time, Lisa. He just needs to find himself and what he wants."

Lisa smiled. "You know, after he pretty much slammed the door shut regarding what happened in New Detroit with the pop tart, he did chase after me and asked me if he could make me dinner at some point."

"See, there's hope. From what I've heard, he's supposedly a good cook."

"How would you have known about...oh.." Lisa had realized halfway through her statement that Claudia did have, or had in this case, good inside information about something like this.

To her credit, Claudia let it slide.

"Anyways, Claudia, I should be happy he's at least thinking of having me over to dinner. However, I'm doing my best to not get my hopes up too high. Mostly because it hurts too much when I do get them up and they get dashed."

"Lisa, I'm saying this as a friend. Quit being such a pessimist. You've waited a pretty long time for Rick to turn the corner. From what you told me about what happened in New Detroit and from what you picked up about how he was acting, I think if it was a race between you and Miss Macross, you'd win in a walkover."

"It's hard to tell sometimes. Like I've said..."

Claudia cut her off. "You're over-analyzing it, Lisa. Just let nature take it's course. Anyways, I should get going home. I have the early watch tomorrow, as do you."

"I was just going to stay here. Not the first time I've slept in the office."

A friendly hug between the two friends ended the conversation. Claudia made her way to the door. Just then, Lisa heard her phone ring. She looked at the caller ID and made a motion to Claudia to wait, mouthing the words _It's Rick._

"Hello? Hi Rick! Sure. I should be free later in the day. How does 3 PM sound? Sure, that sounds like a good place to meet up. OK, see you then. Bye!"

Claudia looked at her friend with a telling smile. _Told you so, Lisa._

Lisa nodded with a smile. "I guess I should listen to you a bit more often."

"That you should," Claudia responded with a laugh. "See you in the morning."

Lisa watched as her friend left the office. She started to re-think the whole sleeping in the office idea she originally had and decided it was time to head home. _Guess I do have something to look forward to tomorrow._

* * *

A few hours later, Lisa found herself back in her study area of her off-base housing, looking at her desk. On the top shelf were some pictures that held some significant memories for her and life before her posting on the SDF-1. The first was a studio picture of her with her mother and father from when she was 12. _Couldn't tell Mom had just been diagnosed a week before we sat for this. Somehow she managed to get Dad not to wear dress blues._ The picture represented one of her final memories of her family. Within a few months of that picture, Lisa's mother had died, leaving her in the care of various relatives and boarding schools while her father continued his rise in the UEG during the Civil War.

The next picture was that of Lisa with the Admiral right after she had graduated from the RDF academy. _He told me it was one of his proudest moments. Not only delivering the commencement speech, but getting to see his daughter graduate top of the class._ The picture belied their relationship at this point. _We were definitely distant by that point. And it didn't get much better as the years went on,_ she thought, trying to push down some less than pleasant memories from Alaska Base. _I only wish we had a chance to mend fences a bit more than a hurried talk on the comm right before the Grand Cannon decided to go into meltdown._

It was the next picture that made her take pause. _Karl._ Lisa really hadn't thought of her former fiance very much over the past few years. Claudia had come over one time and asked why the picture was still there despite her feelings for Rick. _'As long as you hold on to the past, it makes it that much harder to walk towards the future,'_ she had said. _Have to admit she's right,_ Lisa thought. _It's something Rick and I have in common. We're both holding on to the past and it's hurting both of us._ Looking at the picture again, there was another thought that crossed her mind. _At least you don't have to worry about my past coming back, Rick. Not that I had much choice in that._

She thought back to that day on Mars when she was outside of his room at Sara Base, when a reckless recruit fresh out of boot camp kept her from staying on the base as it blew up. _At the time, I despised Rick. He kept me from what I thought should have been. Karl and I, together forever. However, fate has a funny way of showing you what your path is supposed to be. Max summed it up best one time. Something about the future always being in motion._

She picked up the picture from its spot on the desk and held it, then looked down at the picture.

 _Karl, I know you always wanted me to be happy. Wherever you are, I hope you understand._

Lisa walked over towards a bookcase and reached for a photo album. She carefully opened up the frame and took the picture out and placed it on a blank page, then placed the album back in its spot. Holding on to the empty frame, she opened a drawer and placed it in there.

Soon, she was in bed and had turned on the radio. As she drifted off to sleep, the last thing she thought about was one particular line in the song that was playing in the background.

 _A second chance at happiness._


	6. Winds Of Change

Just some housekeeping before we resume:

 **jag389** \- Glad you're liking it so far. I have a few more chapters all set to roll out soon, but I'm working on some of the more, ahem, exciting aspects, so its taking a bit longer than expected. As for a certain someone, well, I have an idea of things will probably play out, but I can say I wouldn't even wish that on the Ol' Backstabber.

Also, a big thank you for those that are following the action. Glad to have you all aboard!

On to the next chapter...

* * *

 **Chapter Six – Winds Of Change**

The area around the Macross Convention Center was a buzz of activity. The MinmeiCon was a chance for fans of the pop star to buy and trade various items of Minmei memorabilia and to enjoy the music of the Voice Of Freedom.

Usually, it was something Rick Hunter found himself looking forward to as he could add to his collection. This year, though, it would be a bit different. _Probably the last time I ever show up at one of these,_ he thought.

Rick made his way towards the main floor where a number of vendors had set up shop with various items they were looking to sell or trade. Quickly he found the booth he had been looking for. The booth itself was rather nondescript, but the banner on the front gave some idea what the line of business was. It read "Gary's Collectibles. Monument City's Choice Collector's Spot." The older man behind the kiosk was one of the more prominent collectors of various Minmei merchandise and was someone Rick knew well.

"Hey Gary, been a while."

The man recognized the voice, but when he looked up, he saw a man standing there in a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap pulled down low. "Hey, kid. Long time."

"Yeah, it's been a little busy at work lately. Think you can slip away for about 10 minutes?"

"Don't see how it should be a problem. What is it, kid?"

"Remember that offer you made last year?"

Gary thought back. _Oh yeah, the kid that had a big collection and wanted to get an idea of how much it was worth._ He looked over again. _Yeah, that's the guy alright._

"Yeah, I sure do."

"I'm willing to talk. I have it out in my car if you want to take a first hand look."

"Sure thing, kid." Gary looked over at one of his helpers. "Hey Carl, keep an eye on things here. I'll be right back."

A few minutes later Rick and Gary were out in the parking garage at Rick's car. He popped the trunk open and brought over the tote. Gary opened the tote and saw a binder on top. He started to take a look through and saw they were all Certificates of Authentication on each of the items in the tote. _I should have known._

"Now I remember this stuff, kid. Finally putting it out there on the market, eh?"

"Yeah, but since you and I have done some business in the past out in Monument, I figured I'd give you first crack."

"I have to ask, how did you come across some of this stuff?"

"Let's just say I have connections. However, I think those connections are dried up now. Plus, I've had some things come up recently."

"Gotcha. The job market isn't the greatest."

"My job's pretty secure. Just looking to get my own place now instead of just renting a house, ya know. I figure with what I have here, I should be able to at least get a down payment down on something."

"How much are you asking, kid?"

"That's why I came to you. It's your call. I know you'll be fair about things, but I also know you gotta make a buck or two off this too."

Gary nodded. It'd be very easy to ask for a ridiculously low price and make a killing on this collection, but that would have been unscrupulous. _No, the kid's been nothing but honest with all of this._ Looking through the tub and the corresponding certification. _I can give him a good chunk of change and recoup that without any problems today._

He thought it over for a minute and then decided on a value.

"Ten grand for the collection, kid."

"Sold."

The two shook hands and made their way back inside, lugging the tote back inside. Once back at the kiosk, the transaction was completed and the two shook hands. Gary did have one nagging question.

"I have to ask. Some of the things here, there's only one person that could have gotten them..."

Rick pulled back the hood on the sweatshirt and took off his ball cap.

Gary's eyes widened. _I_ _ **knew**_ _it! Rick Hunter himself in the flesh. But I thought he and Minmei were a thing? Guess not, and don't know if I should bring that up or not._

Rick made a motion, placing his finger to his lips. "I kinda want to keep this quiet for now."

Gary nodded. "Understood, Commander. And, as an old flyer myself, it's an honor. I flew the same jets as your old man over Kuwait and Iraq back during Desert Storm. Wasn't with the Aces N' Eights, but we knew of 'em. Some of the best I've ever seen out there."

A smile came across Rick's face. "That was the other reason why I chose you for this. Let's just say I did my homework. Us fighter jocks got to stick together." A quick salute followed this comment.

The older man snapped off a brisk salute that would have made any drill sergeant proud.

"I thought you and Minmei were..."

Rick shook his head. "No, last I heard from her was two years ago. No truth to that rumor."

"Understood. Just that everyone tends to think that it's the case. Anyways, Commander, as I said, it was an honor doing business with you."

Another handshake completed things and Rick made his way out of the now bustling Convention Center towards his car. He looked at his watch. _Just noon now. Got plenty of time to take care of my next stop._

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Rick pulled into the parking lot of a two-story building on the South side of New Macross. The building was the home of the White Dragon, which was one of the most famous restaurants in Macross and New Macross. It also happened to be the home of the reigning Miss Macross when she wasn't touring.

Rick took a deep breath before exiting the car. _It's been a while since I stopped in. Hopefully Uncle Max and Aunt Lena won't be disappointed in what I have to say and do here._

Clutching a package and envelope, Rick walked into the restaurant. It was pretty empty for lunch time. _Lunch was always slow here, but dinner time is when it always seemed to pick up. Plus, the South Side of town is pretty quiet._

An older man walked up. "Good afternoon, sir. How many today?"

"Just one."

The man took a second look at the customer and broke into a broad smile.

"Rick! How are you doin', boy?"

"Been a while, Uncle Max. How are you?"

"Meh. Kinda struggling, if you can't tell. It's not like the old days when it was always busy here. Where are my manners? Come in! Anything to eat? It's on the house!"

"Well, I wasn't planning on eating, but since you put it that way. I'll have some pot-stickers and a Petite Cola."

"Coming right up. Let me get Lena out here. She'll be tickled pink to see you!"

Uncle Max ran to the back and yelled out, "Lena! Come on out here. There's someone here to see you!"

"Now who would be stopping by right now, Max? It's been pretty…." Lena's thought stopped when she saw a familiar face.

"Rick! Bless my stars! It's good to see you!" The older woman ran over and hugged the younger man.

"Hi Aunt Lena. It's been way too long."

She turned towards Max. "What did he order? If he did, you know it's on the house."

"Already took care of it, Lena. Pot-stickers for the boy, plus a Petite Cola." The older man brought over the beverage and some fried noodles with duck sauce and mustard.

The three gathered around a table and started to reminisce about the days on the SDF-1 when the White Dragon was the place to be. Times had been a little tough since the attack and the rebuilding of New Macross. Where the White Dragon was set up was a bit further away from the base than it was before, but the little restaurant still managed to get by.

The conversation turned of course to the most recent news of the day.

"Any word on Minmei, Rick?"

"None yet that I know of, Aunt Lena. I'm not on today, so the only information I have is what MBS has been reporting."

"It's not like her to do something like that. I hope she's OK."

"I'd like to think so."

"I guess you didn't see her in New Detroit then."

Rick usually wasn't good at lying, but in this case, he had to go that route. _Besides, the last thing they'd want to know about would be Minmei cussing me out in public like that._ "She never got out of the limo. Kyle on the other hand."

"That we saw on TV, Rick. And I want to apologize for that. That's totally not like him to be that….uncultured."

"No worries, Uncle Max. I wrote it off to the stress of the situation and let it go as soon as I left." _Wow, two whoppers in a row. Next stop, politics?_

Aunt Lena returned with the pot-stickers. Rick took the chopsticks next to the plate, picked one up and dipped it in the ho-sin sauce, and took a bite. _Still the best thing on the menu._ "Delicious as always."

"So, have you heard from Minmei?"

"Not in the past two years. Not since right before the attack on the Zentraedi fleet. I guess our paths were just meant to go in different directions."

Lena sighed. "I had that feeling. I mean, we haven't heard from her in the past three months." A tear began to make its way down her cheek. "Rick, please tell me you'll make sure she gets back safe."

"I will if they call us in. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that." He then turned to Max. "I have a few things for the restaurant I think would be fitting."

Rick took the package out and opened it. Inside were three posters from her appearances around the SDF-1 and for the epic movie made while the craft was on its way back to Earth.

"I've been doing some remodeling at my place and thought they kind of belonged here. For everyone to see."

"Thanks, Rick. I think I have the perfect spot for them."

He turned to Lena. "Aunt Lena, this is for Minmei. Can you just put it on her dresser upstairs for when she gets back here?"

"Sure." She looked at the envelope and thought about asking about it, but decided that the matter was between Minmei and Rick alone.

Handshakes and hugs followed as Rick made his way out the door, promising to visit again soon.

Once he got to his car, he checked his watch. _2:15. I should be able to get over to Sundollar by the time Lisa gets there. But, just to be safe._ He pulled out his phone and tapped a quick text message to Lisa:

 _Hey, we're still on for today. May be about 5-10 minutes late. Errands ran a bit longer than expected. See you there!_

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Rick walked on into Sundollar Coffee and waited for Lisa to arrive. It was one of those more "trendy" places, with a lot of different decor ideas and some eclectic music playing in the background. Some of the people there were on their laptops working on various things for their jobs or for classes over at the University nearby. _Figured it'd be a good place to meet. We kinda blend in._ _It's just coffee between friends anyways._

Just then, he saw Lisa come walking in. She saw him and waved, then walked over. Rick noticed that she was not in her usual white officer's uniform _,_ but in regular civilian clothing. _Well, she's just as attractive in civvies as she is in uniform. How did I not notice this earlier on?_

Lisa saw that Rick was noticing her and smiled a bit. _Well, well, well, Mr. Hunter. Checking me out? Not that I mind that. Not at all._

"Never really figured you for a place like this, Rick." More often than not, Rick would be seen with something from the Jim Morton's near the base.

"Well, I heard the coffee was good. That and some of the baked goodies don't look too bad." _Plus I know it's one of your favorite places,_ he added silently. "Dunno about you, but those brownies are calling my name."

As they made their way towards the counter to order, Rick let Lisa take the lead going over. And again, he found himself not being able to keep his eyes off of the woman in front of him. _Yeah, definitely should have payed attention sooner. Would have saved me a lot of grief._

Lisa was a bit more perceptive to this than Rick may have realized, but didn't attempt to stop him. _Well, if I didn't know better, he's interested somewhat. Might as well have fun with it._

A few minutes later, both made their way back to the table. Rick had an iced coffee with shots of caramel and mocha and a fudge brownie. Lisa had opted for a latte and a scone. As they settled in, Rick noticed that Lisa had moved a bit closer.

"So, what's on your mind, Rick?"

"Not too much. Just was mostly focused on just relaxing today and getting some stuff down around the house. Figured we haven't really hung out very much outside of work lately, so why not some coffee?"

"Nothing really interesting then, huh?"

"Not really, unless you call going grocery shopping and cleaning up my house a bit interesting." _Then again, if you know what I did to my room, you'd definitely think it would be interesting._

"As compared to what we deal with on a daily basis, I'll take a mundane day of household chores over dealing with Malcontents."

"No arguments here."

"So, I saw that Minmei fan convention thing was in town today. I would figure you'd have gone there for a bit."

"Yeah, I did go over for a bit. Wasn't there much beyond thirty minutes. Dunno, but for some reason, I just wasn't into it as I would have been a while back."

 _Well, that's something. Minmei's biggest fan not even that interested in a convention all about our favorite pop-tart. Wonder if New Detroit had something to do with that._

Rick looked over at Lisa. "Feel like taking a walk? MacAdam Park isn't too from here, and there's a great view of Lake Gloval from there."

"Sure. It's a little too crowded in here anyways."

As they made their way out, Rick eyed a copy of the _Macross Times-Sentinel_ and it's front page story about Minmei going missing. He picked it up for a second and then put it back down.

"The things that pass for the big news story of the day. I mean, what's to say she didn't just disappear to get a break from everything. It's not the first time a pop star has done odd things, won't be the last. Why treat it in the same manner as an invading fleet coming out of fold by the Moon?"

Lisa seemed a bit surprised by the reaction, or lack of one. _If this has been a few months ago, he'd be asking when we can go get a search party together. Either he grown up a lot in the past few days or something happened that has dropped her down on the pecking order in a big way._

* * *

About ten minutes later, the two found themselves at one of the overlooks that rose above Lake Gloval. In the middle of the lake was a very familiar sight. The SDF-1 rose above the lake, acting as a landmark and sentinel over the city it once landed near and then housed. Lisa had to admit Rick was right about this. The view of the city and the lake was just breathtaking. The sun was starting to set behind the large craft, making for a wonderful sight.

The two stood by the railing just taking in the sights. In the distance, they could see some of the Veritechs from Fokker Base taking off on patrol.

 _Funny how they look peaceful from a distance,_ Lisa thought.

Rick decided to break the silence.

"Lisa, I figured this was a better place to talk than some noisy coffee shop. Anyways, I owe you an apology."

"What for?"

"I kinda pushed you aside when I got back from the last patrol. You were right. Minmei did make a cameo appearance in New Detroit."

Lisa shook her head sadly. "I kind of had that feeling. I'm also guessing it wasn't a happy reunion."

"Understatement of the year. It kind of happened while Kyle was on his tirade that got caught on tape. During the course of it, she got out of the car and saw what was going on. For some reason, she decided to scream something out in Chinese. I actually managed to write it down once we got back to Fort Klinger."

He showed Lisa the exact quote.

"Last time I checked, _ni hao_ was how you said 'hello' in Chinese. Why do I have a feeling it wasn't exactly what was said."

"Yeah, I ran that through a translation site. It's not pretty to say the least." He showed Lisa the translation that he had downloaded to his phone.

Lisa's eyes went wide. "She said **that**?"

"Yep. I even ran it past Wally Chang from Osiris Squadron. He wondered what I did to get someone that mad at me. Seeing I couldn't say it was Macross's Sweetheart that said it, I covered by saying I cut off a delivery guy from Ling Fan on my way to the base."

"Who knew Miss Macross has the mouth of a truck driver. It'd be funny if you weren't on the receiving end of that."

Rick continued on. "Oh it got even better. After her modest and thoughtful proposal, she decided to show off her pitching arm and sent a water bottle in my general direction. Thankfully she throws about as well as she acts. And yeah, I don't see the Sentinels offering her a contract this off-season. Their pitching staff is awful, but not desperate to that extreme."

Lisa tried not to laugh at the assessment of Minmei's stage skills or lack of a good fastball.

"So, yeah, if you ask some of the Skulls that were with me on that one, they'll tell you there's a pretty good cloud of profanity hanging over the Badlands."

 _It also explains why you were in a rotten mood on the return flight._ She looked over at Rick. _You deserve so much better._

"I think I remember Sheila saying you were in a bad mood when I came in on Monday. She kind of was warning me."

"That's also why I kind of brought the shields up when I got back. I didn't want to take any of it out on you. All you were doing was trying to help and me ripping into you would have been counterproductive." _Also, I've hurt you enough over the past year. That stops now._

Lisa smiled. "Thank you, Rick. I appreciate that." _Play your cards right, and I'll show you how appreciative I am, flyboy._

"That's also why I brought up the dinner idea. Figured it would be the least I could do. That reminds me, any particular favorites?"

"It's been a while since I've had chicken marsala. Benedicto's down over by the Macross Mega Mall makes a good one."

"So noted."

"The question is, mister, can you back up your claims you're a good cook." a wry wink followed.

"You'll have to be the judge on that."

"I think as long as I don't get food poisoning, I should be OK."

"Remember rule number one. Always be nice to your chef." A mischievous smile followed.

"But I am being nice. I just have to be sure it's edible, that's all."

"I can guarantee my cooking is better than your last comment."

"Touche, commander. But it still remains to be seen, and tasted."

Laughter between the two punctuated the back and forth. Rick found himself thinking a bit on this. _No way I could be like this with Minmei. Everything would be scripted and the jokes would need a laugh track. Besides, spur of the moment and her didn't mix. It'd take a month's worth of planning for a 90 minute meal, and that's even if she showed up._

Lisa noticed Rick's attention was drifting. "What's on your mind, Rick?"

"Was just thinking how easy it is to joke around and end up grabbing a cup of coffee with you. With certain other people, it's a logistical nightmare to do something routine."

"Well, not everyone is fortunate to be a beauty queen that became a pop-star." _I don't think it was fortune, more like a curse on all of us._

"Odd way of being fortunate, I guess. When you're around people that just cater to your whims, you tend to get a bit selfish. I kind of noticed that out of her after the pageant. If just a cup of coffee would have been an adventure, a dinner would have been sheer torture. I mean, the conversation would have probably focused on 'Oh I did this song, I made this movie, I did this, I did that' for two hours. Not my idea of a good time."

Rick looked at Lisa. What he saw was an attractive woman with humor, brains, and no reason to be anything but herself. _Besides, Minmei should be very fortunate you didn't enter. You'd have wiped the floor with her._

"You, on the other hand, complete polar opposite. And I like that. It's not a show or an act."

"Thanks, Rick. You're pretty fun to be around yourself, when you're not annoying me on the TacNet."

"Ha-ha, Captain."

Lisa gave Rick a mock salute. "If I sat there and just took it and didn't crack down on you, it'd be an act. And why disappoint you by being fake?" A wink followed.

"Got me on that one."

He noticed that the sun had pretty much totally gone behind the SDF-1 and the lights on the path were starting to come on. "Hate to say it, but it may be time to get home. We both have an early day tomorrow. Besides, I still haven't gotten the manifest."

"Well, if you had come up when you were supposed to, you'd have had it by now."

"Not my fault Macross's Sweetheart decided to go full diva in New Detroit."

Lisa smiled after that comment. _Oh Minmei, you really screwed up big time. Your loss._

They started walking back towards their respective houses. Along the way, Rick had offered his arm to Lisa, who took it without hesitation. They both had the same thought about this.

 _I can get really used to this._

* * *

Soon, they arrived back at Lisa's house. An awkward silence came over the two officers.

"Well, Rick. I had a fun time and learned quite a bit. We should do something like that again soon."

"I agree. Besides, I still owe you a dinner, remember."

"True. Want me to swing by over the weekend and see if anything needs cleaning up?" Rick and Lisa had an unwritten agreement that when he was on patrol, she would check up on the house and if she was off base, he would keep an eye on things for her.

"It shouldn't be too bad."

"As long as the fridge is clean. I still have nightmares about that chicken salad you left in there one time. I did have a thought provoking conversation with it before I threw it out."

"Wasn't my fault I had a short patrol turn into a major action."

"Anyways, Rick. I had a great time."

Rick closed the distance between them and embraced her. "Thanks for being there, Lisa."

"I'm always here for you, you know that."

They released from the embrace, but stood pretty close to one another.

 _He's probably thinking about kissing me,_ she thought. _I really wouldn't mind it, but I have a feeling if he does, there's a very good chance he doesn't make it home tonight. I don't want to push him._

 _She's probably thinking I'm going to kiss her,_ he thought. _Wouldn't be a bad thing. Matter of fact, I'd be in favor of it. But, if I do, it's not going to stop there. I don't want her thinking I'm using her as a rebound._

They both stepped back rather awkwardly.

"Look, Lisa..."

"Rick..."

"It's pretty apparent that we're good friends and enjoy being around each other. However, if we did do what I think we were about to do there..."

"You'd be spending the night here because it probably would have gone way beyond that."

"Yeah. Exactly that. What I'm getting at here is..."

"You don't want to rush things."

Rick gave her a quizzical look. "How did you know I was thinking that?"

"I just have that knack," she said with a smile. "Look, you don't have to explain. I'm a lot more patient than you think." _And another hint is dropped. I swear, at this point, I'd could get Max and Miriya to circle over us and write in the sky, "RICK, LISA LOVES YOU!" and he'd still miss the clues._

"Thank you. Goodnight, Lisa."

Lisa turned towards her door, but looked over her shoulder. "Goodnight….flyboy." A wink followed by a blown kiss punctuated the goodbye as she made her way inside.

Rick walked back to his whistling a bit and wearing a rather sizable smile, all the while assessing Lisa Hayes in a totally different light. _Definitely more fun to be around than Minmei. Also not as high maintenance as well. I think one of those old movies Pops loved put it best...it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship._

Inside her living room, Lisa kicked her shoes off and settled back on the couch with a glass of wine, thinking about the events of the evening. _Looks like the door is open. Time to go ahead and walk on through. The next time I see Minmei, I'll have to thank her._


	7. Welcome To The Nightmare

And before we get back to the action, some more reviews to cover here...

 **jag389** \- It sure looks that way, doesn't it? Thanks! Wasn't sure how that was going to play out when I started writing it, but she's always had that hope, when it wasn't buried under the pessimistic outlook when it comes to certain flyboys. As for Khyron, well, stay tuned...

 **theGhostflyer** \- Thanks for the kudos! I could definitely say the same for your effort as well! Looking back over the series, there's a few pivot points where things can go off on a different track, yet still get to the final result, and Khyron's Revenge/Operation Star Saver is one of these and gives a lot of opportunity to go in a bit of a different direction. Also, I've made sure to start rewatching the episodes again (finally got a good copy of the Macross Saga on DVD for Christmas), so it's helped in getting into the spirit. This story's been in the works for a while and I've been fleshing out some of those ideas in my head before committing them to a doc file. Countless rewrites have happened and will happen. Right now, I'm in the thick of writing some of the action chappies. It's proving a bit tougher than expected, but maybe that's just the perfectionist in me.

 **Lizzyrick** \- Glad you enjoyed it! It kind of how I wished things had gone in the original series.

Anyways, one last little PSA before we continue on. I know I alluded to it in the reviews, but if you have some spare time, check out theGhostflyer's _**Mars Alight**_. Really, really, really solid story there with an alternate take on events going back to Bye Bye Mars. You will not be disappointed!

And now, the latest installment...and yes, our antagonist makes his first appearance...

* * *

 **Chapter Seven – Welcome To The Nightmare**

In the aftermath of Dolza's attack on the Earth, much of the landscape was changed due to the bombardment the planet received. However, there were some structures and landmarks that survived. One in particular was a warehouse located in a now wooded area in the vicinity of New Boise.

From appearances, the warehouse appeared to be vacant. However, a closer inspection would have told a much different story.

Inside one of the vast rooms of the old storage area, a man and a woman lay unconscious inside of a cage. Three other men sat near the cage, keeping an eye on the prone figures inside of the cage. Off towards a large service entrance, a white van sits facing out, as if it was ready to leave in a moment's notice.

The woman was the first of the two in the cage to stir. One of the guards sitting outside noticed this and nodded to the one of the others nearby.

The woman rubbed at her eyes and tried to take a quick stock of the situation.

 _Ugggh...my head. Where am I? It's colder than I remember it being. The last thing I remember was being chased by some jerks at that gas stat…_

The ugly reality of the situation began to dawn on the woman.

 _Oh my God! We've been kidnapped!_

She turned towards her companion in the cage. He looked to be still out of it and was snoring softly. The woman thought things over for a second and came to the realization she would need him if they wanted to have any shot of escape. She started to shake him, saying his name, softly at first, then louder, and each attempt sounding more and more like a plea than a request.

A voice from outside of the cage stopped the woman in her tracks.

"Ah, I see you're awake."

The woman finally found her voice. "What did you do to him?"

"The stun ray has a more powerful effect on intoxicated subjects, my dear. He'll wake up in due time."

"Why are you doing this to us? We did nothing to you."

"Did you now? Well, I think our special guests may have a much different opinion on that."

"Where are we anyways?"

"That, sadly, is none of your concern. I would suggest you wake your friend, Miss Minmei. Like I said, we have company coming and I don't think it'd be a great first impression on our guests if the great Lynn Kyle was still asleep. They might take that as being rude. And they don't tolerate rudeness."

The sinister grin the guard added made Minmei work that much harder to wake Kyle up.

* * *

In another part of the warehouse, a solitary man sat in one of the abandoned offices that overlooked the main floor of the building. From his vantage point, he could see the caged off area where the captives were being held. _One of them is finally awake. Better let His Lordship know about this._ He took out a communicator and punched in a well-remembered code. A sharp whistle followed and two faces popped up on the screen, those of a purple skinned man and a tan skinned woman.

"Lord Khyron, Lady Azonia."

The man spoke first. "Go ahead Xamdar."

"My Lord, one of the prisoners is awake. The other should be waking up any time now."

"Good. We shall head on over at once."

"As you command, my Lord."

The communicator cut off quickly. Xamdar reached for a standard cellphone and tapped in a number. "Drondo, let the guards know that Lord Khyron is on his way over to inspect our catch. And make sure that drunken sot Kyle is awake. No need to have a valuable prize get splattered over a point of courtesy."

With that bit of advice, he ended the call. Xamdar sat back in the chair, looking towards the sky with a satisfied smile on his face.

 _All according to plan,_ he thought. _Now, hopefully the Micronians take the bait. Knowing the Sorceress's value, they'll spare no expense. Just as Lord Khyron foresaw._

* * *

In the shuttle, Khyron and Azonia were in discussion over the finer points of the trap they were about to spring on their unsuspecting foes.

"So, Khyron. How does the matrix you captured in New Detroit play into this?"

"It will allow many of the micronized warriors come back to us at their proper size and also get our ships powered back up. These silly Micronians have no idea what is about to be unleashed on them." A sinister smile crossed the face of the being that was dubbed The Backstabber. "Besides, before leaving this primitive little mudball, I want to teach these Micronians what their proper place is in the order of things."

"And that would be?"

"They are bugs that are to be squashed."

Azonia nodded. "Well, there is one that I wish to squash personally." The thought of Miriya fighting alongside of the Micronians still disgusted her. _I plan to make that traitor pay when the time is right._

"You may get your chance if the Micronians react as I think they will. They'll be apt to send the best they have."

"And if things go correctly, we should be able to deal them a crippling blow. Maybe enough to just go and grab Zor's flagship without much resistance."

"Exactly, Azonia. They'll do whatever it takes to get their precious little sorceress back."

"The tactics, though. It seems a bit...unseemly for a warrior."

Khyron shot his cohort a look. "Do you even _**think**_ I enjoy this? Sulking around like some common criminal or, even worse, using _these_ tactics? No, Azonia, its something I most certainly do not enjoy. We are warriors. We should be able to take on anything and anyone. It's only due to our circumstances we have to rely on things like this."

It was something Khyron did not like admitting. After Dolza's attack on the Earth two years prior, the Zentraedi were far from the imposing force they were. A combination of losses on that day and the constant exposure to the Micronian culture had worn away at the once proud force. Sure, Khyron and Azonia commanded the largest contingent of Malcontents, but it was too small to make a true impact in the traditional sense. However, with the losses the Micronians had taken, Khyron did like his chances.

However, it was something Xamdar had sent over after the Micronized loyalist had become a part of Minmei's inner circle. He had managed to grab some older Micronian video archives, showing some tactics used by smaller forces against the United Earth Government in the wars that took place before the Zentraedi had even heard of the planet.

 _The idea of using an air transport against a building is definitely suicide,_ Khyron mused while thinking back about the archives. _Effective, but suicide. Some of the other tactics, though, they had a slight bit of merit. Not very much, but it could be useful._

It was one particular incident that got Khyron's attention. A kidnapping and hostage situation at a diplomatic building in some place called Geneva. He had thought the reasoning as to even why the Micronians that went ahead with this was their own particular brand of madness. It was who was involved in the rescue efforts that piqued his curiosity. It turned out that the UEG had sent a rescue force led by a then Lieutenant Henry Gloval. The mission had turned out to be a complete failure as the terrorists had killed their hostages before the rescue force got into the building. The resulting firefight was nothing short of a bloodbath and from what the archives reported, Gloval took a lot of the blame.

 _Well, Admiral. I guess what is about to come is what you Micronians would call deja vu._

A smile crossed Khyron's face as he thought of making one of his most determined and most annoying of enemies look foolish.

The thought stuck with Khyron as the shuttle approached the warehouse area and began its descent. The shuttle disappeared from view as it descended into a small clearing. Once settled, a gangway opened and the two Zentraedi leaders emerged from the body of the craft and made their way into the warehouse.

"It's a bit cramped, but it will do," Azonia deadpanned.

Khyron paid no mind to the attempted jest and made his way across the main floor, heading towards a suspended office area well above the floor. He peered inside and saw Xamdar sitting behind the desk. A not so silent clearing of his throat by Khyron alerted Xamdar to his presence.

"My Lord, it's an honor."

"Enough with the small talk, Xamdar. Where are our prisoners?"

Xamdar gestured towards the back. "They are over there."

Khyron smiled. "Good, I wish to meet them." He started towards the caged area with Azonia in tow behind him.

* * *

In the cage, Kyle started to finally shake off the effects of the stun ray. _Uggggh...where the hell am I? Last thing I remember is some guy putting something against my back. If I ever find him, he'll wish he never crossed my path..._

He looked up and saw a very relieved Minmei staring over him.

"Kyle! You're OK!"

"Ugh, not so loud." Kyle found himself still feeling like he had been hit with something that had the force of a bus. "Where are we anyways?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't look..."

Minmei's explanation was cut off as she took in another new sight. This was the sight of a very large purple skinned man with bluish-white hair staring into the cage. Minmei reacted in a very predictable manner to this kind of surprise; she screamed at the top of her lungs and cowered in the corner of the cage.

Kyle looked over, blinked, and blinked again to be sure he had registered the sight in front of him correctly. _What in the name of all that is holy is this? That is the_ _ **last**_ _time I ever mix bourbon with absinthe. This has to be a hallucination, but instead of pink elephants, I'm seeing purple Zentraedi._

A third blink confirmed it for him. It wasn't a hallucination.

"GAAAAH!"

The large purple man turned to his companion. "Curious reaction, eh Azonia?"

The woman standing slightly to the side nodded. "You would think our guests weren't too happy to see us, Khyron."

Azonia's attention turned to Minmei, who was whimpering in the corner.

"Not as powerful now as before, are we, sorceress?" She turned to Khyron. "I think our little songbird has lost her voice." She followed this comment with a laugh.

Kyle, on the other hand, had found his voice. "Let us go, you overgrown eggplant!"

"Oh, look, the mighty warrior speaks. I can answer that question for you, you speck. Not a chance. I hope you like your new home."

The two giant warriors walked away from the cage, speaking in a language that Kyle equated to a combination of belching and clearing one's throat.

"Kyle?" Minmei had come out of the corner and clutched on to him. "I'm scared and I want to go home!" Tears started to fall rapidly.

 _That makes two of us, Minmei. Time to be a bit brave._

Kyle stroked Minmei's hair. "Don't worry. I won't let them hurt you."

* * *

Further away from the cage, the discussion between Azonia and Khyron had become a bit more animated.

"It's a foolproof plan, Azonia. We have the sorceress that helped the Micronians decimate the Grand Fleet. She beat _**Dolza**_ in a straight fight."

"Still, with the fleet gone, what purpose does she serve now?"

"They'll risk everything or do anything to get her back. We can leverage her and the warrior for Zor's flagship."

"I still think there's something amiss here. For all we know, that Micronian you claim is the sorceress could be...be..," She turned towards the office. "Xamdar, what do the Micronians call those kinds?"

"Impersonators, my lady."

"Yes, that's it! She's an impostor! There is no way the mighty sorceress of the Micronians would be sitting there in the corner of a cage, simpering like some weakling."

Khyron let out a sigh. "OK, my skeptical friend. We shall conduct a test. If the sorceress can sing like she did when they defeated the Fleet, we proceed. If she doesn't, they both die," Khyron gave Xamdar a cold look. "And the forces I promised you will be ordered to turn this hovel into a crater. And you know they can make _**very**_ short work of this primitive structure."

An annoyed Khyron turned towards the cage. "Sorceress! Sing now or die!"

In the cage, Minmei gulped. She knew if she didn't sing well at all, it would be one bad review they couldn't bounce back from. Thinking quickly, she thought of a particularly annoying song she had done for a notable animated film shortly after the battle with Dolza's fleet.

She started off slowly, but managed to catch her stride as the song went on, belting out the main refrain from the song perfectly. The song had been known to cause Micronians to want to tear their ears off of their bodies, but it had a doubly powerful effect on the two Zentraedi.

Azonia covered her ears, wincing in pain. "OK, I take back what I said!"

Khyron looked as if he was about to throw up. "Are you satisfied now, Azonia? This is the worst torture imaginable!"

"Just make it stop!"

Khyron turned back to the cage. "OK, sorceress. You proved your point. STOP!"

Minmei stopped singing and returned to Kyle's side. Khyron looked into the cage and had a humorless smile.

"I have to admit, it was a nice strategic move there, sorceress. However, in spite of the effect the song had, we will most certainly not be 'letting you go' anytime soon."

As they started to walk back towards Xamdar's location, Khyron smiled. _It's all falling into place. Time to set the trap._

Khyron eyed Xamdar in the office. "I think I know how to get the Micronians attention."

"How so, my Lord?"

"Simple, we let them know what we have." Khyron pulled out a communicator. "Gerao! Get ready to transmit a broadcast over to the Micronians!"

A tinny voice came back over the speaker on the communicator. "As you command, Lord Khyron. Any specific instructions?"

"I'm transmitting them now." Khyron pressed a button. A soft tone indicated the instructions had been transmitted over to Gerao's console.

"Got them, my Lord. I will send out the first message shortly. Do you have the vidcorder equipment or do you need for us to send another shuttle?"

"We have it here with us. I will contact you when it is time to proceed."

"As you command." The transmission went dead.

Azonia found herself wondering what her ally and companion had in mind. "What exactly are you planning, Khyron?"

Khyron turned towards Azonia and gave a wry smile.

"It's not very polite to have visitors stop by without an invitation."

Azonia understood where he was going with this and started to laugh. Khyron was laughing as well.

In the cage, Minmei and Kyle observed this and started to have a feeling of dread overwhelm them.

"Kyle," Minmei whispered. "I have a very bad feeling about this."


	8. Sowing The Wind

Review time!

 **theGhostflyer** \- Indeed it is. We're getting closer to the "less talky, more fighty" portion of the story. And seeing we have Khryon involved, it's not going to be an easy task, no matter how it looks. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint going forward. Also, thank you for your service. Always have an abiding respect for those that did and do.

Onwards to the next chapter, and yes, as Good Ol' Jim Ross would put it, business is about to pick up...

 ** _(A/N - had to adjust one line as something got left out. Should be set now.)_**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight – Sowing The Wind**

As another morning dawned over New Macross, the activity at Macross Command and Fokker Base continued non-stop. Veritech fighters were approaching for landing or were in states of readiness for take off for patrols all over North America. The nerve center of this sprawling complex was the bridge area of the under-construction SDF-2. From here, every activity of the RDF was monitored and any threats countered.

The new bridge area was about twice the size of the bridge on the old SDF-1, which stood close by in Lake Gloval. Operations for Macross Command had moved here about a year ago and the old bridge area was closed, but maintained in case of any emergencies.

On the main bridge, it was approaching 0600 hours, meaning a shift change was about to happen. The overnight crew, affectionately nicknamed "the Zombies" were in the process of finalizing things before the change over occurred.

Captain Hayes was well acquainted with the change-over protocol. More often than not, her interactions with the nighttime officer on duty were quite routine. Looking at the reports from the past evening, it appeared that this night had been no different than the others. With a quick salute, Lisa relieved her counterpart and began the day's activities.

She scanned over the flight manifest for the day. _Thunderbolt Squadron's on today for patrol. Looks like they're escorting the Admiral over to Monument at around noon. No other patrols scheduled._ As she continued to scan the document, she saw something that brought a smile to her face. _Skull's on standby today. Means Rick will be here by 0800._

As Lisa took a sip of the tea at her console, she found herself thinking back more and more to the impromptu meet-up with Rick for coffee and the walk around the park.

* * *

About 50 kilometers away from Macross Command, a small building stood on an outcropping of rocks that overlooked the Badlands. A few microwave dishes were located nearby, with the dishes pointing in different directions. This was one of the forward listening posts for the RDF that kept an ear out towards any activity that may be going on.

Inside of the building, Lieutenant Denny Hoskins was looking over things from his post at the rear of the room. It was a pretty simple setup in place. A few monitors, a main console, a coffee maker, a small fridge, and a radio. _Just another quiet night in paradise,_ he thought half-jokingly _._ Hoskins was a special breed of tech as he preferred to work during the overnight hours. _Someone's gotta do it,_ he once told a relative. _Besides, the pay's at double-grade and I'm not really a people person to begin with._

Taking a quick glance at the clock, he saw it was just coming up to 0600 hours. _A fat lot of nothing yet again tonight._ Hoskins yawned. _Been a while since anything's really kicked off on this part of the watch. Seems the daysiders get all the fun. Maybe the Zents have learned that nighttime is for sleep._

The reverie that he found himself in came to an abrupt end as he saw a red light pinging on his console. _Strange, there's no patrols scheduled to be out right now._ He did a quick check of the frequency. _Not one of ours, that's for sure._ On the radio, the song that was playing was strangely ironic in a few different ways, Hoskins would recall later on.

However, the song was the last thing on his mind as he checked over the readings. _Yep, definitely not a friendly. Don't these large goofs ever sleep?_ A quick cross-referencing of the frequency with known Malcontent used frequencies found a match. A rather horrifying match. _Well, ain't that somethin'. Same indicators as the blast that came out after the New Detroit raid._

He then tried to pinpoint where the frequency was coming from. _Come on, you bastard. Stay on long enough so I can get a fix on you. I get that info, I forward that to Macross Command and you get a one-on-one meeting with whatever God you pray to._

There was no luck in getting an exact location of where the communication was coming from. The Zentraedi had taken to bouncing their signals off of different location as to mask their location. Normally, it would bounce off of two or three locations. This transmission, on the other hand, was bounced off of seven locations. This bit of information had Hoskins impressed and worried at the same time _. Just my damn luck! I end up dealing with the Zent's answer to Marconi, Edison, and Tesla all rolled into one. Couldn't get a dumb one, like the guy that was transmitting from his command pod in the lead of the force he had._ He had heard from some of the fighter jocks that the vaunted big attack ended with two sounds; a Wildfire missile shot from a Veritech and a very large boom when the command pod splintered into fragments about the size of a quarter.

Hoskins then pulled up the actual transmission. To his utter amazement, it was in English and not Zentraedi. _Well, that settles it. Big Ugly really wants our attention this time._

Without any hesitation, Hoskins pulled up his direct link with Macross Command.

* * *

Lisa's good thoughts about the previous day's activities were interrupted by a buzzing on her console. _Hmm. Looks like one of the Windtalker stations is calling in. Osage Station to be exact._ She punched one of the buttons and the screen came alive.

"Macross Command, this is Osage Station. Lieutenant Hoskins reporting."

"Osage, this is Macross Command. Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Ma'am, we have an inbound communication coming in from a definite Em-Zee location. Repeat, definite Em-Zee contact."

A small feeling of discomfort came across Lisa at this news.

Hoskins continued his report. "I checked over the frequency that this was coming in on. First off, it's one they used for the New Detroit job."

"Have you had a chance to get a trace on its location?"

"Negative, ma'am. That's the second part. They've bounced this sucker seven times before it reached us here. Most often, the other Em-Zees do it two or three. Big Ugly? He likes to go for overkill on the signal bounce."

Lisa bit her lip. _Yeah, that's definitely Khyron's M.O._ She quickly made the call on what to do next.

"Go ahead and patch it through. We going to need translators?"

"Another negative, ma'am. It's in English. Whatever they want to send our way, they definitely want us knowing."

The transmission came across on the console within seconds.

" _Micronians, Lord Khyron of the Zentraedi Armed Forces wishes to parlay for the spacecraft you call the SDF-1. We will cycle this message every two standard minutes for 2 Earth hours until we receive a satisfactory response. Confirmation code for acceptance is Delta-Seven-Omega-Nine and can be sent over frequency 1809.45.272. End of transmission."_

Lisa felt the color leaving her face after reading the communique. _Well, so much for it being a quiet day._

She turned back to the console. "Lieutenant, how confident are you about this information? If I go ahead and bump this up the chain, it'd better be solid."

"Ma'am, it's holy writ. If it were any more solid, I'd be flying off to New Las Vegas and betting everything I own on it. Everything points towards this coming from Grimace's Evil Twin himself."

"Roger that. Thank you, Lieutenant."

She cut off the communication and turned towards one of the Trio.

"Kim, get me the Bat Phone."

* * *

From the outside, the nondescript house in one of the nicer neighborhoods of New Macross was pretty ordinary. However, this one house was the home of Admiral Henry Gloval, the former commander of the SDF-1 and now overall commander of Macross Command and Fokker Base. Inside of the house in the foyer was a special station run by the RDF's Communications Array team that was manned during the night, with the reasoning that while the Admiral may have needed to rest, the Malcontent threat and any external ones would not.

As it was approaching 0630 hours, tonight's duty officer, Gunnery Sergeant Michael LeDux, was ready for his shift to end. _Another quiet night,_ he mused to himself. He had taken the liberty of culling through the major news stories of the day and had them set in a quick morning brief for the Admiral.

It was at this point he saw a tall figure walking towards him. Quickly, LeDux was up and saluting as he saw it was the Admiral himself.

"Good morning, sir."

The Admiral returned the salute. "At ease, Sergeant. I trust you had a quiet night?"

"Very much so. Here's the morning brief for you, sir." LeDux handed a folder over to the Admiral.

Gloval leafed through it while sipping on a cup of tea in a traditional Russian glass and metal style. _Nothing new on the horizon right now. Outside of the incident in New Detroit a few days ago, it's been quiet. Almost too quiet._

It was just then LeDux noticed the direct line from Macross Command going off. This line, dubbed the Bat Phone by those on the bridge at Command, was only used in the most extreme of emergencies.

The Admiral looked rather puzzled. _So much for today being uneventful._

LeDux wasted no time in picking up. "Special Communications, Gunnery Sergeant LeDux speaking."

"Gunny? This is Captain Hayes over at Command. We have a situation. May want to patch me through to the Admiral."

"Ma'am, I can do one better. He's right here." LeDux swiftly handed the phone over to Gloval. The Admiral took a quick glance at the clock in the alcove, noting the time and who would be on duty.

"Lisa, this has better be very important."

"Sir, I wouldn't call on this line if it wasn't. One of the outlying stations picked up a transmission from Khyron wanting to arrange for a parlay for the SDF-1. We've been able to determine that it's definitely from him."

"Are you certain?"

"It's one hundred percent certain, sir."

Gloval sighed. "OK, I will be on the bridge in about thirty minutes. Get Hunter and Leonard there as well."

"Sir, Colonel Leonard's still on maneuvers out in Baja."

" _Yob tvu mat!_ I forgot about that. Have Claudia get someone from his office over there so they can be in the loop." _If I left the 'great' Anatoly Leonovich or one of his underlings out of the loop, I'd never hear the end of it._

"Yes, sir!"

With that, Gloval handed the phone back to a stunned LeDux. The Admiral turned quickly towards the communications officer.

"Sergeant, please let Monument know I may be a bit late in coming today. It seems I have some pressing business here."

The sergeant nodded and was immediately in touch with Monument City regarding the Admiral's appointment needing to be pushed back or outright canceled. The Admiral, not even hesitating, made his way towards the front door and nodded to one of the MP's stationed inside, who opened the door and followed him out to a staff car.

The Admiral got in to the rear while the MP hopped behind the wheel. The car started to make its way towards Macross Command.

 _Thundering asteroids! If this lunatic thinks he's getting the SDF-1, he's got another thing coming!_

* * *

At his house, Rick Hunter slept peacefully, with his thoughts directed towards events of the past few days. To be exact, he was thinking about the time he had spent with Lisa and how things were starting to go in a new direction.

Whatever thoughts he may have had about this were disturbed by a ringing. He looked up groggily.

 _Just 0630. My alarm isn't supposed to go off until 0700._

He glanced over and saw it was his phone going off. He looked at the number on the caller ID.

 _Base is calling now? Something's definitely up._

He picked up the phone.

"Hunter."

"Good morning, Rick. You need to get in here, pronto."

"Lisa! Not exactly the kind of wake-up call I was expecting."

"It was either me or the Admiral calling you to get in here. Guess you lucked out."

"Yeah, you're the better alternative." A wake-up call from the Admiral was something he rated as terrifying and somewhat creepy. "What's going on?"

"Khyron decided to get in touch with us. Anyways, it was enough for the Admiral to call in everyone he could think of."

"Gotcha. Be there in fifteen minutes! May want to rustle Wilcox from Rapier as well. He's the other senior commander on duty today. Also, may want to nudge Ben and Max along as well."

"All three are on the short list, Rick. See you when you get here."

The phone went dead. Rick jumped out of bed and grabbed the first clean uniform he saw in the closet. Within a matter of minutes, he was out the door and on his way to Macross Command.

* * *

Shortly, Rick was making his way up to the bridge area when he bumped into Commander Wilcox of the Rapier Squadron. The two pilots continued towards the bridge area. Wilcox was the first to speak up.

"Getting dragged in for this too, Hunter?"

"What? And miss all the fun, Tom? Have to wonder why Khyron's wanting to call this early in the morning."

"Beats me, Rick. Hell, I didn't even have a chance to have a cup of coffee yet. Pretty uncivilized of Big Ugly."

Rick nodded. "Makes two of us. Then again the words 'civilized' and 'Khyron' don't exactly mix."

"True." Wilcox looked up and saw they were at the entrance to the bridge. "Once more into the breach, I guess."

Rick walked on in and saw a veritable who's who of the top commanders for Macross Command assembled on the bridge. A younger man, dressed in the green uniform of the RDF ground forces came over and saluted.

"Commander Hunter? Lieutenant Rolf Emerson."

Rick returned the salute and shook hands with Emerson. "Nice to meet you, although I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Agreed. I'm here for Colonel Leonard. He's still out in the Baja putting a few of the battalions out there through the paces."

 _Probably teaching them how to run in a straight line and get vaped,_ Rick thought darkly to himself.

Emerson continued on. "Have to say New Detroit was a rough one. Although my boss sure didn't agree, some of us on the ground side of things thought you made the right call. Four versus over a thousand didn't seem like the best of odds at all."

"Thanks. It wasn't my idea of a fun time." With that Rick made his way towards another post, smiling at the white-uniformed figure in front of him.

The small talk between the gathered officers came to an end quickly as a voice bellowed out, "ADMRIAL ON DECK!"

The throng snapped to attention and saluted briskly as Admiral Gloval made his way to his seat at the top of the bridge, carrying his trademark pipe with him.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. You are all probably wondering why I've called you all in at the last minute. It appears our old friend Khyron is looking to talk to us about a trade for the SDF-1. At the very least, I can listen to what this lunatic has to say. Also, this may be our best chance to track down his hideout as well in the process."

Rick had a thought and half raised his hand to get the Admiral's attention.

"Yes, Commander Hunter?"

"Sir, I was thinking for a second. It might not be a good idea to tip off Khyron that we've been able to pinpoint his location. Maybe have a set of signals in place to relay that we got a fix. That is, if he doesn't do his usual cutting off right before we can grab it routine."

The Admiral held his pipe in his hand, thinking over Rick's idea.

"Excellent idea, Commander. We need to work out what the signals will be."

"Easy, sir. What I'll do when we get the confirmation is I'll fake a cough like this." Rick cupped one of his hands and put it towards his mouth and coughed quickly.

The Admiral nodded. "You'll have to work something out with Captain Hayes to relay the signal your way."

Rick nodded and walked down towards Lisa.

"OK, hotshot, what did you have in mind here?"

"Well...I was thinking, maybe when we get the green light from the Comm folks, do something subtle but enough to get my attention."

Lisa thought this over for a second and had an idea. She leaned over to Rick and whispered something in his ear. Rick looked over at her for a second with a bit of shock and a wry smile came across his face. Lisa followed this up with a wink.

Rick walked back over towards the Admiral and nodded.

Just then, the communications buzzer sounded and a voice came over the intercom.

"Admiral, we have an inbound transmission. Same Em-Zee frequency as before, but this one's live and in living color."

"It seems our friend is about to call. Start the scan and get me an ETA on it!"

A voice called back over the intercom. "Sir, we can have a lock on his transmission in about two minutes."

"Acknowledged. Get it as fast as you can! I don't want this golden opportunity to slip past."

A few seconds later, the same tech came back over the intercom. "Admiral, transmissIon received.

Gloval took a deep breath and sighed before continuing on. "Patch it through!"

The main viewscreen of the bridge came alive in a black and white snowy pattern, then snapped into a live image of a nondescript warehouse. Khyron and Azonia were front and center on the screen, standing near some sort of platform. Both were smiling, not in the sense of a regular happy smile, but more of an un-nerving kind that would be seen on a serial killer. A sense of dread and foreboding came across the bridge at the sight of their two most prominent enemies.

Khyron was the first to speak.

"Greetings, Admiral Gloval." He took a quick look around on the screen. "I see you have some of your most trusted advisers with you."

Gloval cut off Khyron quickly. "Not in the mood for pleasantries, Khyron. You said you wish to parlay for the SDF-1."

Khyron seemed taken aback for a second. He turned towards Azonia. "Well, that was rather rude of the Admiral, don't you think, Azonia?"

A quick nod followed.

Khyron continued. "Admiral, there's no need to be, as you would say, grouchy about things. Here's my first offer. I take the SDF-1, we leave this miserable backwards rock, and never deal with you Micronians ever again. You have my word I would leave without as much as a complaint."

Not very many were buying the argument put forth by Khyron. The Admiral was the first to speak up again.

"Your word? That's about as laughable as...well, anything I've ever heard, Khyron. They don't call you 'The Backstabber' without good reason. I trust you about as far as I can throw the SDF-1."

"So I guess that's a no, Admiral?"

The Admiral nodded. "Let me think about this for a second. Not a chance, Khyron."

Khyron looked back with a smirk. "I tried to be reasonable, Admiral."

He then nodded towards Azonia, who moved over. Behind the two warriors was a partitioned area covered with some sort of cloth. Khyron moved towards a rope attached to the cloth.

"Very well, Admiral. Seeing you wouldn't be agreeable to my very generous offer, I now present to you what you Micronians call a 'trump card'."

The rope moved away and the cloth dropped. Behind the cloth was a small caged area that had two Micronian subjects inside. The camera moved closer and showed a close up of the two individuals.

A collective gasp went up from all the attendants on the bridge as they realized the identity of the two captured figures was that of Minmei and Lynn Kyle.

"GET US OUT OF HERE!"

"HELP US, PLEASE!"

The camera panned back to Khyron. "Second offer, Admiral. The SDF-1 for your sorceress and great warrior."

Rick observed the whole situation intently. _Well, that kinda answers a whole lot of nagging questions regarding as to why Minmei went AWOL. Well, I think I know how the rest of my day is going to go._

Lisa observed Rick's reaction to all of this. _Can't really tell if he's detached from this totally or if he's just doing a great of a job of hiding his emotions._

The Admiral didn't hesitate too long in his response to this latest offer. "You're still not getting the SDF-1, Khyron."

Khyron looked a bit annoyed at the response. "I thought you'd respond like that." With that he turned to Azonia. "Take the warrior out. Let's shake a little sense into the Micronians, if you get what I mean."

Azonia smiled and grabbed Kyle out of the cage. Once out of the cage, she began to shake him around like a rag doll.

"OW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THAT HURTS! MY KNEE DOESN'T BEND THAT WAY, LADY! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! I'M BEGGING HERE! PLEASE!"

Minmei joined in on the shouting going on in the warehouse, in a state of pure panic.

"STOP! PLEASE! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!"

Khyron looked down at the cage with a sneer. "That's the point, sorceress. And if the Admiral doesn't agree to our demands, well, you're next!"

A high pitched scream followed.

As this was going on, a soft blue light came up on Lisa's console. She looked down and saw a message from the Communications team. It was of a map with a location marked off with a red triangle with some coordinates. She gave a quick glance towards Rick.

Rick's attention was drawn towards the console just as Lisa gave the pre-arranged signal. He noticed her pulling on the hem of her skirt. _Gotcha, Khyron!_ He quickly coughed, which got the attention of the Admiral.

"Stop this madness, Khyron! I will see what I can do here."

Khyron suddenly smiled. "See, Azonia. I knew they would see reason. You can put the warrior back now."

"Awww, but I was having fun, Khyron!"

"Put him back NOW! We still need him alive."

Azonia frowned as she put back a very visibly shaken Lynn Kyle back into the cage. Minmei went right to him, sniffling and trying not to cry.

Khyron turned his attention back to the camera. "Well, Admiral. You have 48 Earth hours to surrender the SDF-1 to me. If not, well, I can't guarantee the safety of my guests well beyond that. I'll be in touch regarding the trade." With that, he flashed a V sign and a very cheesy grin as the broadcast faded out.

As the transmission came to a conclusion, Admiral Gloval wasted no time in making plans.

"Hunter, work with Hayes, Wilcox, and Emerson on a plan of attack to get our people back. I'm calling over to Monument to warn the UEG as to what is going on. I expect to have something tangible to go with once I get back. Claudia, you have the bridge!"

With that, the Admiral made his way off deck. Lisa looked over at Rick, Emerson, and Wilcox and motioned to them to go over to a nearby conference room. Already, over the intercom, calls for other key pilots that would be involved in the planning were being made.

* * *

As Khyron and Azonia started to make their way out of the warehouse, Minmei found a small spark of confidence.

"You'll never get away with this. They're coming for us!"

Khyron turned back with a smile that would have frightened the Devil himself.

"That's not only what I hope for, sorceress. I'm counting on it."


	9. Reaping The Whirlwind

And now for some viewer mail...

 **Drumskinny** \- I can say it's been fun writing this so far and I'm happy readers are thinking I've kept our two favorite RDF officers somewhat true to themselves, but with a few minor tweaks (such as Rick realizing Minmei's a no-win situation and Lisa not being as scared of being shot down by Rick romantically). No doubt they're drifting closer to each other, but there is one factor that could potentially throw a monkey wrench into all of this...not that I want to get ahead of myself or tip my hand or anything...

Also, thanks! I have to admit, I'm a fan of the slow burn to set the tone and mood before diving into the action. Glad to know it's paying off :)

On to the next chapter, where the RDF shows that for every action, there is an equal or greater reaction...

* * *

 **Chapter Nine – Reaping The Whirlwind**

Wasting no time, Rick, Lisa, Wilcox, and Emerson made their way off of the bridge and towards one of the larger conference rooms in Macross Command. The only sounds echoing through the hallway were their ever-hastening footfalls as they made the short trip over to the room.

The conference room itself was a typical meeting room with a large circular table and seats. The walls had plenty of viewscreens for maps, video conferencing, and other pertinent information to handle any threat on Earth or, as was the intent, beyond.

The primary viewscreen came alive with a map of North America and a familiar red triangle that denoted the location of Khyron's hideout as the four took their seats. The location was pinpointed to an area about twenty kilometers outside of New Boise in the Idaho Quadrant.

The four officers were joined by Lieutenant Commanders Sterling and Dixon from Skull Squadron and two other pilots from Wilcox's Rapier Squadron.

Lisa, in her capacity as the most senior of the officers assembled, started the improvised planning session.

"OK, any insights as to what we just saw?"

Wilcox was the first to speak up. "Khyron's taking a pretty bold risk here. He decided to go after a target that, he assumes, we would expend whatever we could to get back. Does seem a bit desperate though, going with the whole hostage route."

Emerson was next. "He's taking tactics from some of the terrorist organizations that were prevalent here on Earth before and during the Global Civil War. Seems like he's been boning up on his history or something. It's definitely something new he's picked up."

"Knowing our large friend, he's always one for picking up and using new tactics. We know that first hand."

Lisa spoke next. "He's been pretty quiet up until recently. We hadn't heard much out of him for a few months until New Detroit." _Sorry for bringing that up, Rick,_ she added silently.

"Now, he pops up again a few days later and kidnaps someone the Zentraedi fear more than the RDF and demands the SDF-1 in return. Knowing how hard the Zentraedi pursued us for the ship over the past few years tells me that there's a lot more to what secrets are on the ship than we've been able to discover."

She turned towards Wilcox. "And I do agree, it does sound a bit desperate on his part. It's something my dad would have called a 'hail mary'."

Emerson was next to speak. "Sorry, but forgive me on this one. I don't really understand what value the SDF-1 has at this moment. It's a monument."

Lisa smiled. "You could always ask Dr. Lang the same question, Lieutenant. You'll get a pretty interesting answer."

A buzz came over the intercom that was patched through to the speakers in the room. Lisa tapped a button at her console in front of her seat. It was from a Cats Eye that had been ordered to the location right after the signal had been pinpointed.

"Macross Command, this is Voodoo Flight. We've been able to make a pass over the location. Uploading images now."

"Acknowledged, Voodoo Flight. Thanks and get clear of there. Don't want to spook the neighbors."

"Roger that, Macross Command. Voodoo Flight out."

A few seconds later, the images from the recon flight came up. The high quality images were projected on to the viewscreen. All assembled took a chance to look over the photos and get a feel of the complex that more than likely they would be attacking soon.

Emerson was the first to say something. "Looks pretty lightly defended to be honest. Didn't see much in the way of activity around the building."

Wilcox was next. "Could be hiding their numbers. Why tip off your foe?"

"Didn't see any pods present either. Could just be a bunch of ground forces there only."

"Definitely not Big Ugly's usual style, Lieutenant. He's usually all about the pod overkill." Wilcox took a better look at the photos and came to a realization.

"Well, damn. They're not normal Zentraedi. They're micronized."

Emerson grinned. "Well, this definitely changes things up here. Finally, a somewhat fair fight against the Zentraedi."

Lisa looked as well. "You're right, Tom. Now it makes sense as to why he grabbed the matrix. From what Miriya's said about the process, a matrix would be needed to allow for micronization, or in this case, macronization, so to speak."

While the others had been going on about the merits of the value of the SDF-1 and the setup of the compound, Rick had remained silent, taking in everything and processing what the situation was shaping up to be. _Something just doesn't make sense here. It's going against everything we'd expect Khyron to do._

Finally, Rick gave voice to his thoughts.

"It's too easy."

The others turned towards Rick.

Lisa was the first to speak. "Care to explain, Commander?"

"Sure. We all know Khyron's playbook when it comes to how he reaches out to us. He goes on, taunts us a bit, tries to crack a joke, and usually knows when to cut the communication off, which is usually right up against that two minutes we usually need to get a fix on his position."

Wilcox responded. "Maybe he was grandstanding this time."

"Could be, Tom. Maybe he wanted to gloat how he had captured the one person that had been the turning point for the battle against Dolza's fleet. Maybe he also wanted to rub it in he had captured our 'greatest warrior'." _The only thing he knows how to kill is a bottle of Jack,_ Rick added silently.

"This time, it seems different. It was like he wanted us to find where he was."

Max, who had remained silent up until now, chimed in. "And knowing Khyron, he's probably got a real nasty surprise in store for whoever comes calling."

It was at this point, Admiral Gloval walked into the room. All the officers snapped to attention as he entered. A quick glance told everyone how the call with the UEG had gone.

"At ease, everyone." He turned to Lisa. "So, Captain, what's our game plan?"

"We were still in the process of getting one in order, sir." Lisa motioned to the pictures on the viewscreen in front. "A Cats Eye was able to make a pass over the location. As you can see, it's pretty lightly defended and it appears that the enemy forces are Micronized Zentraedi. However, in light of Khyron being behind all of this, we're not taking any of this for granted."

The Admiral nodded, holding his pipe and looking over the images in front of him. "Well, in the view of the UEG, no expense is to be spared in bringing the hostages home. They want me to throw everything we have. However, I'm not compromising our forces here. It'd be something Khyron would look for and exploit if given a chance."

Everyone in the room understood and agreed on this point.

"The challenge is, how to balance between these two extremes."

Rick looked over at Emerson and nodded and both rose. Emerson spoke first.

"Admiral, as the ground force liaison, I can volunteer a Destroid battalion out at Fort Wasatch. That's only about 150 kilometers from the target location. There's five battalions already stationed there at the time, so it wouldn't be compromising either our forces here or there. I'll be coordinating with Major Stockton to see which ones we'll be using for the mission, but more than likely, it'll be his 228th Mechanized that will be the point. Also, I'll be getting Major Ortiz on the horn as well. We'll be needing Special Ops in on this one too for the extraction team."

"Very good, Lieutenant. I would say you should probably go ahead and get a start on that. You are dismissed."

Emerson made his way to the exit, saluting all in attendance.

Rick cleared his throat and went next. "However, there's no real air presence at Fort Wasatch at the moment. There's a strip there, but we don't have any regular squads that call that place home. That means we're probably going to have to pull from here."

Rick stopped for a second and thought things over before continuing. _It's looking to be all too easy here. No pods in sight, barely any ground troops, and micronized at that. Khyron may be crazy, but he's also not stupid. Better to be safer than sorry. Rather go for the overkill than get caught short._

"Admiral, I'm thinking two squadrons should be ample to handle the air cover for the ground pounders. Leaves us a bit of insurance as well if Khyron wants to spring a surprise or three on us."

"Understood, Commander Hunter. What squadrons will be going?"

"Rapier and Skull, sir. Azure will move up the line and be the primary stand-by."

Wilcox nodded in Rick's direction. "No objections here, Admiral."

Gloval nodded at both squadron commanders. "None here either." He turned to Rick. "Commander, I think you have some briefings to take care of. Assemble your pilots in one hour to fill them in on the situation."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

As soon as the Admiral and some of the others left the room, Wilcox walked over towards Rick.

"Commander, a word please."

 _Great,_ he thought. _Now its time to talk about the 30 foot Zentraedi standing in the corner of the room._

"OK, Hunter, we get it. We all know who the damsel in distress is and we all sure know your history with her. Don't you dare think about getting any of my guys killed just because you want to go all glory hound on this one."

Rick shot Wilcox a withering look. "Really, Tom? You really think I'd risk everyone's life on this one just to be on the front page of paper or the lead story on the 6 O'Clock news just to be the one that brings Macross's Sweetheart home from the clutches of danger?"

Rick walked over toward Wilcox and got into his face.

"I'm only going to say this one time and one time only. I don't play that game. Not for her, not for anyone." _Well, almost anyone. If it were Lisa that Khyron had captive, I'd have just gone full rogue and gone after her myself._

Rick stepped back a bit and continued. "We have a job to do. Big Ugly's got two of ours in his grasp and he wants the SDF-1. So I just happened to have a crush on one of them. The key word here is _**had**_ , Tom. That ship folded quite a while ago. So, stuff that glory hound crap."

"Alright, Hunter. I'm just looking out for my guys here. I don't want them to pay that price for that reason, ya know?"

"Totally understood. I'm looking out for yours and mine here. The less letters we have to write when we get back, the better."

Wilcox nodded. _Well, maybe I might have misjudged him a bit here. Still, damsels in distress have a funny effect on anyone._

Rick looked over at the viewscreen with the layout of the warehouse complex. "Tell me, Tom. Are we really worth a pop star and a lush?"

"Monument seems to thinks so."

"They also thought we were worthwhile bait while up there too." Rick gestured towards the ceiling, bringing back memories on how the UEG had decided the SDF-1 should stay between Earth and the Zentraedi fleet just 2 years before. "Somehow, I think we're something between 'necessary evil' and 'expendable'."

Wilcox sighed. "Sounds like our lot, Rick. Anyways, I should go get the kids together for the big assembly before the field trip."

With that, Wilcox saluted and made his way out. Relieved that the conversation was over, Rick exhaled. He also failed to notice that Lisa had come back into the room just as the conversation with Wilcox was ending.

"He's got a point, Rick."

"Not you too, Lisa?"

"No, it's a fair concern."

Rick had an annoyed look on his face. He took a deep breath and exhaled before responding. Before doing so, he moved a step closer and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Lisa, my dad had a saying that stuck with both Roy and myself. He always used to say, ' _Boys, it's business, nothing personal.'_ Usually he'd say that before telling us whatever plans we had were pretty much shot. Anyways, this mission is just that. Business. Nothing more. It's a mission. I got asked to lead it. End of story."

He looked at her with a fierce determination in his eyes.

"Look, I'm not going to deny that there were feelings there. There's going to be that little piece of my heart she's always going to have. However, whatever my feelings were or are now are not going to have any bearing on this mission at all. I'm not going to go out there and risk the lives of others for fifteen minutes of fame just because I was the lucky bastard that happened to rescue the one and only Minmei. Right now, there's only one person on this planet I'd go tearing through the gates of Hell itself to rescue if it came down to it, and I can safely say it's not Minmei." _I think Alaska Base was proof of that_ , he added silently.

He smiled briefly at her. "Besides, I still owe you dinner."

Lisa nodded and felt tears starting to well in her eyes.

"I just worry, Rick. Every time you go out there, I always find myself worrying you're not going to be coming back."

"It's the nature of the business, Lisa. You know that. I know that. We didn't sign up to just wear the cool uniforms and all."

"I know. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

"It's a risk I take every time I go up. Like I said, I volunteered for this."

"Just try to be safe out there."

"I will. Gonna fly this one by the book."

A whimsical smile came across Lisa's face. "You? By the book? This I have to see."

"Well, you're gonna have the best seat in the house."

"Be really tough to explain to the Admiral why I'm monitoring the TacNet with a big bowl of popcorn."

Rick chuckled at the mental picture of this. "I'm not going to lie. It looks like a walk in the park, but it's these kinds of missions that end up turning into epic disasters. Hopefully, my intuition is off on this and it does turn out to be a piece of cake. However, with Khyron involved, my guard is up."

He glanced at the wall clock. Rick could only nod as it meant it was time for him to go to the ready area to brief the others.

Lisa nodded. The tears started to come down slowly at first, but increased. Rick instinctively moved closer and allowed her to rest on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm in good hands on this mission, especially when you're running the show on TacNet."

Lisa composed herself quickly. "Thanks, Rick. Good luck out there and get back here in one piece." She hugged him tightly, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "It's for good luck," she said with a smile.

Rick smiled back and saluted.

Later, as she walked back to the bridge, Lisa found herself deep in thought about Rick and his safety. _God, I know I haven't had a chance to talk with you in quite a long time, but just do me this one favor. Keep an eye on Rick and make sure he comes home safe._

* * *

The Ready Room over by the main hangars of Fokker Base was a buzz of activity as the combined forces of Skull and Rapier Squadrons assembled to get briefed about the upcoming mission, which had been officially dubbed Operation Star Saver. News of the audacious video that Khyron had sent out had started to filter around the group. In the front of the room was a podium and a viewscreen that had various maps and images up for study.

The buzz of conversation began to die down a bit as four figures made their way to the front of the room. One figure, Rick Hunter took his position at the podium, while the other three, Max Sterling, Tom Wilcox, and Rapier Squadron's XO, Dale Avery, stood off to the side. After a quick look from Rick, Wilcox stepped forward.

"ATTENTION!"

Any conversations that were going on stopped dead as all the assembled pilots snapped to attention. Rick looked over the crowd and spoke.

"At ease. OK, kids. It appears we have one nasty little situation on our hands at the moment. At about 0630 this morning, Macross Command received a transmission from our old friend and professional Barney impersonator, Khyron the Backstabber. Seems he wants something of ours, namely the SDF-1. He offered to leave the planet if he could have it. However, the Admiral, knowing all to well as to why Khyron earned his nickname, told him what he could do with his offer. And, as a witness to this, I can tell you two things. One, the offer was refused, and two, the Admiral, much to everyone's disappointment, did not tell him to go screw himself in either English, Russian, or Zentraedi."

A small wave of laughter came across the room.

"Well, Khyron didn't like that answer too much. So he decided to up the ante, and in a big way." Rick took out a small remote control and clicked on it. Pictures of Minmei and Kyle came up on the screen.

"He somehow managed to capture and hold as hostages Minmei and Mr. Lynn Kyle. After some less than productive talk and watching Azonia use Lynn Kyle like a Stretch Armstrong doll, Khyron gave us the standard 48 hour time limit before eliminating his hostages. Naturally, Monument flipped out and that's why we're here."

He clicked the remote again. An image of the warehouse and it's exact location came up.

"We were able to track the broadcast to this location. It's an old warehouse about 20 clicks north and east of New Boise. From the looks of it, it's pretty lightly defended from what the Cats Eye was able to pick up." A few more clicks of the remote showed some of the high resolution images of the area around the warehouse. "You'll also notice that most of the forces look to be Micronized Zentraedi. This is a bit of a change for Khyron, but Em-Zees are Em-Zees, no matter the size."

Another click brought up another point on the map.

"The other blip on the map that just came up is Fort Wasatch. It's the closest RDF base to this location. Lieutenant Emerson is heading up the ground game and is bringing in a battalion of Destroids and a small extraction team to get our people out of there."

One of the pilots in the assembly spoke up. "So, basically we're covering the ground pounders' collective asses on this one?"

"Looks that way. Doesn't mean it's any less important as Khyron's usually a believer in having a lot of Easter Eggs around. Still, I doubt these guys go quietly."

The viewscreen shut down and the lights in the room came up.

"Also, there has been some talk about a certain commanding officer's past history with one of the hostages. Well, rest assured, there's nothing there that would entail a suicidal dash to save that particular princess. And it's definitely not worth risking anyone's lives over. My old man put it best about things like this. It's business, not personal. We're here to do a job. The overall objective is to get our people out, but the big part of my job is to make sure most, if not all of you guys make it home safe. And if the mission becomes untenable, I will be the first to make the call that we scoot. As much as Monument wants us to throw everything short of the kitchen sink at these guys, there's limits."

Rick took a sip of water before continuing.

"Alright guys, I'm not exactly the greatest at the whole 'rah-rah, lets go win one for mom, apple pie, and the Gipper' speeches. However, I'll leave you with something I read a while back. As most of you know, I'm a military history buff and was reading a book about the Battle of Britain during the Second World War. The Luftwaffe was dominating the battle and had been hitting London hard. The RAF, with their backs against the wall, decided that there was only one thing they could in this situation; send a few bombers across the Channel and toss a few tons of ordinance right smack in the heart of Berlin itself. Anyways, I tell you this because the head of RAF Bomber Command summed up this philosophy with a quote, one that definitely applies to this mission. _They have sown the wind, we shall reap the whirlwind._ "

He cleared his throat. "Khyron picked the wrong fight. I fully expect we will bring our people home and teach Big Ugly a hard lesson."

Applause came up from the pilots. Rick smiled before continuing.

"Just a little more brief business here. We have about a half hour before we depart. You guys and gals can go ahead and get yourselves in the right frame of mind before we leave. If you want to call a loved one, by all means do so. If you want to go to the chapel, go for it. Just remember to put in a kind word for your commander. The one thing that is out is the Officer's Club. No having a cold one before the mission. Flying under the influence isn't a good idea, and even though shooting the pod in the middle may work, using up your rounds on that pesky pink elephant isn't a good idea. Besides, there'll be plenty of time to have a few afterwords. DISMISSED!"

As the pilots made their way out to get in focus for the upcoming task, Rick was approached by Wilcox. For once, Rapier Leader had a smile on his face.

"Rick, for someone that's not into making the inspirational speech, that was pretty damn good. And yeah, I kinda owe you an apology for earlier."

"No worries, Tom. My track record kinda would have warranted it."

Both commanders looked over the map one last time. _It still looks too easy,_ Rick thought. _What are you hiding, Khyron?_


	10. War Dance

Hitting up a few reviews before we hop back in...

 **sscaldwe** \- Thanks and welcome aboard! I have to admit one my prime writing influences was the late Tom Clancy. Always enjoyed the books (but not much of a fan of the movies beyond Hunt For Red October  & Patriot Games, but that's a different story) and always like how it was a big buildup with some twists here and there before the big payoff at the end. This one, well, there's still quite a ways to go here.

Thanks for the kind words regarding the characters as well. I was hoping I would be keeping them in the spirit of the series, but with a few tweaks here and there that make the story work. Also, with regards to Lisa, Rick's starting to put it all together. I always thought Minmei was more of how a high-school crush would go, while Lisa was more of the forever girl.

 **theGhostflyer** \- That it does! Just add flour, water, a few renegade Zentraedi, the RDF, and stir constantly. Interesting concept to say the least for Khyron, but the initial reason was thinking her singing was some sort of magical power that caused the defeat. However, I cannot confirm nor deny that this little tidbit of info may come into play at some point in the story. As for the baited trap, the next few chapters will make things a tad more clear on that front.

Also, with the Cats Eye, I really hadn't thought about that one to be honest (honesty department - I had to Google that term). They may have noticed it and paid it no mind seeing that Khyron had pretty much banked on some sort of response from the RDF. Glad you got a kick out of the nicknames in use. There'll be a few more that come out in this. As for a repeat of Mars, well, remains to be seen.

 **GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT** \- Right now, I've got a few more chapters loaded up and just getting their final tweaks before going up, but the output may slacken a bit as I'm crafting some of the aftermath of the raid and the directions things go. Also, there may be some "director's cut" scenes that may not have made the story that may go up at some point as well in a one-shot collection that I've been mulling over. Nothing official on that yet, but it may be coming.

On to the next installment. The hour of decision grows nearer...

* * *

 **Chapter Ten – War Dance**

The tarmac and hanger area of Fokker Base was a swarm of activity as both Skull and Rapier Squadrons were in preparation for their role in Operation StarSaver. Pilots, mechanics, and other ground staff were going between the Veritechs, making sure everything was in working order before the large force was given the okay for takeoff.

In the locker area for the Skulls, Rick, Max, and Ben were in the final stages of preparing for the task at hand.

"Seems like we're a little incomplete on this mission," Ben noted.

"Hey, it wasn't my call to have Miriya on the sidelines," Rick shot back. "Docs still haven't cleared her yet." He turned towards Max. "How'd she take the news?"

Max shook his head. "About as well as I thought. Which was, not very happy about it at all. She's not exactly a fan of me going off without her. And I have to be honest, I'm not too fond of it either."

"Believe me, Max, I lobbied to get her back on the line for this one. Too much can go wrong with things like this and I'd feel a little better with another experienced hand out there."

"She appreciated that, Rick. And she told me to thank you for talking to Lisa about your idea."

Max knew that being on the sidelines and not out in the thick of the action was starting to get to Miriya. However, Rick had told him that he had put in a request for her to join the bridge team on this mission, partially to let her feel as if she's part of the action and partially to act as a special advisor to Lisa and the Admiral in to what tricks Khyron may have up his sleeve.

"She's as much a part of this as anyone. Besides, the insights couldn't hurt."

Ben smiled. "True. She's been on both sides, so she'd definitely have an idea of what Khryon could pull on this one."

Rick looked at his two friends and nodded. "Gentlemen, I think it's time to get this party started."

The three officers made their way out of the locker area and headed towards the main hangar for the Skulls. When they arrived, the other pilots of the squadron were all assembled. They circled around Rick for a last second talk.

"Alrighty, kids. It's pretty much go time for this mission. I know for a lot of you, it's your first real taste of a major action. Just keep in mind what you've gone over in the sims and watch your buddy's back out there. And most importantly, don't get cocky out there. Cocky gets you killed and makes me write a letter home."

Rick looked around at the pilots surrounding him. _This never gets any easier. I know a few of you guys probably aren't coming back from this one. But I'll do my best to be sure most, if not all, of you do make it back home tonight._ Pushing that melancholy thought out of his mind, he thought back to something the squadron hadn't done in quite a long time.

"OK, Skulls. Bring it in." With that, Rick raised his arm skyward.

The pilots huddled close, grasping towards their commander's raised arm.

"Break on three!

The assembled pilots shouted in unison as Rick dropped his arm. What was called "The Rally Cry" had carried over from Roy Fokker's days as commander of the Skulls.

With that, the assembly broke up as the fighter jocks made their way to their awaiting Veritechs. Rick high-fived Max and Ben before heading off. As he walked towards Skull One, Rick couldn't help but notice Ben talking with Amelia and the younger pilot giving him a hug before they went on their separate ways.

 _I'll have to talk to Ben about that when we get back. Not that I disapprove, but I had no idea._

* * *

As Rick reached his distinctive fighter, he made sure to check on the ordinance attached. Seeing that everything was in order, he started to make his way around the strikingly painted fighter for one last check before strapping in. _Roy, you'd be proud I've kept The Old Girl as-is. There's something to be said about tradition._ The only change that had been made was the addition of the new Skull Squadron emblem. However, in place of the skull, each pilot had a graphic that represented their call-name. As Rick was a fan of comics and older cartoons, it made this a bit easier for the artwork to be modified. On Skull One, the skull was replaced by a familiar visage from a famous comic book, which was one of his favorites. The evil-smiling clown stared back at Rick as he finally started to make his way towards the front of the fighter.

It was there he saw Vince Grant, Skull Squadron's personal ground tech and maintenance guru.

"It's all gassed up for you, boss. Left the keys in the ignition too."

Rick smiled. "I see you did the windshields too. I get the oil change next trip in, right?"

A hearty laugh followed the comment. "Light em up out there, Joker!" Vince responded, using Rick's call-sign.

A fist bump followed and Rick was making his way up the ladder and into the cockpit. As he strapped in and adjusted his helmet, he could only think of one thing. _I just want to get back in one piece._ Soon, he was flipping levers on the control panel, causing the jets in the rear to start to whine and burn. The fighter began to gracefully taxi towards the runways.

* * *

Rick tapped the center console and saw Lisa pop up on screen. _Showtime._

"Macross Command, this is Stargazer Flight. Looks like the kids are all in the car and we're gassed up and ready. Requesting clearance for takeoff."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Acknowledged, Stargazer Flight. You and the kids are cleared for takeoff. Good luck and good hunting out there."

"Roger that. OK, kids, you heard the lady. It's go time!"

The Veritechs from both squadrons began shooting down the runway and gracefully gaining altitude as they headed towards the unknown. Within fifteen minutes, all the Veritechs were airborne and approaching cruising altitude.

"Macross Command, this is Stargazer Flight. All craft are airborne and we're at cruising altitude. Bearing zero two eight towards target."

"Roger that, Stargazer Flight. ETA to target is approximately three hours. Maintain radio silence on main frequencies until at destination. Once there, you know what to do." Lisa added a wink and a smile to the ending comment.

"Yes ma'am. Once there, we follow standard RDF procedure. Arrive. Cause massive property damage. Leave."

Lisa tried her best to not start laughing out loud. "Alright, mister. Time to shut it down for a bit. Be careful out there."

"Gotcha. We'll call in once we're knocking on Khyron's front door. Stargazer Flight out."

The TacNet console went black as the transmission ceased. Rick switched over to another channel. The radio silence was with Macross Command only as it was known the Zentraedi had become adept at tracking the known communications frequencies for the RDF. However, communications between the fighters was not restricted as it would help keep the pilots focused on the task at hand.

Rick, however, did not join in on the chatter between the pilots. He found his mind drifting in a multitude of different directions. _Yeah, massive property damage. Let's hope the bill the RDF racks up for new Veritechs is at a minimum._ He took a deep sigh. _Somehow, I have a feeling that may not be the case on this one._ Rick glanced out at the running lights of some of the nearby fighters surrounding him. _Funny how if this mission was maybe six months ago, I'd have a much different feeling about this whole mission. Still be dangerous as hell, but I'd be caring less about what happened as long as she was safe. Now? Well, there's a much better reason to make it out of this mess in one piece._

* * *

The thoughts about the mission ended quickly as a buzzer began to sound and a red light came on the center console. _Proximity scanner is going nuts right now,_ he thought. A quick check saw some unknown objects approaching the fighter group. A second check confirmed they were approaching quickly.

There was no hesitation on Rick's side as he flipped open a channel to the fighters.

"Heads up, people! Prox alarm is going off. Something's inbound and quick at two two seven!"

Rick checked again and did a double take. _What the hell?_

He was horrified to find that the flight path already had occupants, namely a large flock of Canadian geese making their way south to warmer climates.

 _Geese? Someone upstairs has a pretty warped sense of humor..._

"Crap! All fighters, take full evasive now!"

Rick banked his fighter hard and dove out of the way of the honking mass. The others in the group followed suit, going in a myriad of directions to avoid their unexpected foe.

However, the maneuvers came too late for some of the aircraft, leading to some colorful chatter on the comm. The collision of the birds and the fighters was causing quite the concern as the birds were being sucked into the jet turbines of the fighters. The mix of turbines with feathers, bone, and other various parts of the birds was presenting a major issue to the affected craft as engines started to smoke and flame out.

* * *

Rapier Squadron had the luck of ending up in the thick of the rather large flock that crossed their flight path. Wilcox saw the same thing as Rick had and also had the same reaction, ordering his pilots to evade the best as possible. And much like the Skulls, some of the Veritechs in Rapier Squadron took damage from their honking roadblock.

The most pressing concern was noticed by Wilcox as he saw one of his younger pilots, who went by the call-sign of Flipper, struggling to get away from the flock. He had noticed one of the engines was nearly spent and was leaving a trail of fire in the skies.

"Hey, Flipper. Come point two three eight over to the right. That should get you clear."

"Trying to, sir. My right engine's pretty spent. Turning that way rig...OH SH..!"

The thought from Flipper never finished as a goose smashed through the canopy and struck the unfortunate pilot head on. The sickening crunch was audible over the comm along with alarms from the now crippled and pilotless fighter.

Wilcox winced as he saw the Veritech go into a nose dive, rapidly approaching the ground below. _Come on, kid! Pull up! Eject! Oh God..._

A fireball below the fighters confirmed the worst fears of everyone in the squadron. Muttered curses and prayers came over the intercom. In his fighter, Wilcox bowed his head and recited a quick prayer before crossing himself.

Wilcox spoke up in a hushed tone. "Did anyone see a chute?"

One of the other members of Rapier Squadron responded. "Negative, boss. Didn't see a chute at all."

 _Damnit!_

* * *

Rick looked towards the heavens. _Well, this mission is off to a great start already._ He took a deep breath before his next command. "Alright. Status report, Skulls."

Baker was one of the first to report back. "Boss, my right engine is giving me fits. Power's at 60 percent and dropping pretty quick. Have a feeling one of the smaller birds had a meeting with the turbine."

Another Skull, Skull 17, a younger pilot nicknamed Stitch, responded quickly. "Lead, I'm down to 50 percent power for my left engine. Right's at 85 percent. Would pretty much guarantee the left turbine ate a bird and the right got a glancing shot off of another."

Rick let out a sigh that masked his frustration. "Acknowledged. Plankton, Stitch, make tracks for home. I'll let 'em know you're heading there. You guys gonna be OK to get there or should I let Wasatch know you're coming?"

"Roger, Joker. I should be good to get back to Homeplate," Baker responded.

"I should be OK too. You can tell the bingo field no thanks."

"Be careful, you two." The two pilots saluted before turning their crippled Veritechs in the opposite direction. Rick continued on his check.

"Everyone else OK?"

Max responded. "Looks that way, Joker."

Ben was the next to add on. "No problems here."

"Thanks, gents. Skull Leader to Rapier Leader. How are your guys holding up, Paladin?"

Wilcox responded with a large dose of frustration. "Joker, it looks like we took the brunt of the flock. I have three other fighters following your two back home, including my XO."

Rick's already bad mood was growing worse. _Three more out of the game. What next?_

"Oh, and it gets even better, Joker. One of my nuggets bought the farm."

"Say again, Paladin? You're telling me those geese actually scored..."

"Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't witness it. No chute and no beacon ping coming up, so it sounds like he cashed it in down there, although I think he was already gone before the Veritech piled it in. Those damn geese must've been on Big Ugly's payroll or something. Of all the luck..."

 _We're down six fighters already. Talk about a kick right in the junk. Yeah, that bad omen I had about this mission is growing._ Rick sighed again, knowing the next communication he made would not be a very pleasant one.

* * *

The bridge of Macross Command was its usual combination of controlled chaos as the tracking of the ground and air forces for Operation Star Saver continued unabated. Different components went about the job of gathering information as the ground forces and extraction team were making their way towards the target.

Lisa was at her usual post at the top of the bridge, keeping an eye on the communications pouring in over TacNet. With Rick's air group under radio silence, the only transmissions coming in were from the ground forces. She noticed a blinking red light in the corner of the console. Tapping a few buttons, she got a readout of the battalion advancing. _The 228th is making good progress. They should be in position shortly._

Another figure stood nearby. It was a woman dressed in a light blue RDF uniform with the most striking feature being her solid green hair. She took a look at the readout and assessed what was being reported.

 _I'd feel a little better if I were up there with Maximillian and the others,_ Miriya Sterling thought to herself. She still had not been cleared to return to active duty as of yet and still yearned to be back behind the stick of her Veritech. However, when Max had told her that Rick had floated this idea to Lisa and the Admiral and they had approved, she couldn't turn it down. _At least I can give them a little warning as to what tricks Khyron likes to pull._

Lisa turned towards Miriya. "Looks like the ground forces are closing in. So far, they're reporting no resistance at all."

"Knowing Khyron, he's waiting for the right time to spring something particularly, how would you say, nasty. I'd advise the Major to keep his guard up."

Lisa nodded. "It's too quiet out there. Emerson agrees as well. The extract team is staying at Wasatch until they get the all clear."

"And the air wing?"

"Still about an hour or so away from the rendezvous with the ground forces. And they're under strict radio silence." _Believe me, Miriya, I'd be more than relieved if I could talk to Rick as much as you would be talking to Max._

Just then, another red light started flashing on the console. This one was from the air group. Lisa quickly hit the button and was greeted with an image of Rick with a serious look on his face.

"Command, this is Stargazer Flight. I know we're breaking radio silence, but it's for a very good reason."

"Acknowledged, Stargazer Flight. State the situation."

"About twenty minutes ago, we ran into an anomaly about twenty clicks south and east of New Spokane. The anomaly turned out to be a pretty good sized flock of geese. We avoided the best we could, but we have some damaged planes making their way back."

Lisa shook her head. "Roger that, Stargazer Flight. How many inbound should we be expecting?"

Rick took a deep breath. "Two from Skull and three from Rapier. Five in total. However, that's not the worst of it. Rapier 18 ended up going down."

Lisa felt her stomach drop at the news. "Should we send a med team out?"

Rick shook his head. "Nobody saw a chute deploy before it impacted and his rescue beacon never activated. From what Wilcox told me, a recovery team is probably more suited on this one."

Lisa looked back at Rick on the TacNet. _He's putting on a brave show here, but he's definitely rattled. And he's probably thinking the same thing here about me, especially after that bit of information._ A silent nod acknowledged the news regarding Rapier 18. She turned to Miriya, who nodded and left the bridge to alert the recovery team as to their next task.

Turning back to the business at hand, Lisa spoke up. "OK, Stargazer Flight. Back to radio silence until you reach the rendezvous point." _And try to be careful out there, Rick. If you were to end up like Rapier 18..._

"Roger that, Stargazer Flight out." With that, Rick flipped the switch turning off the direct link to Command. He took a deep breath and sighed as he could feel a spike of frustration. _Yeah, I definitely have a bad feeling about this mission._

* * *

A distance away, Khyron and Azonia were sitting on the bridge of his hidden craft, monitoring the events out near the warehouse.

It was just then a blinking light came up on the console in front of them. Khyron lazily tapped the button.

"What is it?"

"My Lord, Warehouse reporting in," a tinny voice came back. "We have Micronian ground and air forces heading towards our location bearing three one eight. Your instructions?"

"Let them in."

"My lord? Are you sure of this?"

A sneer came across Khyron's face as he felt his temper rising. "Of course I'm sure of this, you idiot! Let them in. And **never** question my orders again."

"Ye..yes, sir!" With that, Khyron smashed the button cutting off the communications a bit harder than expected.

Azonia looked at Khyron with a bit of surprise. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Our forces there are kind of exposed."

 _Not you too,_ he thought darkly. He turned towards her, but instead of an angry look, it was more of a sinister smile that crossed his mouth.

"Xamdar and his men are capable of keeping the Micronians entertained. Besides, I have a few surprises in store for our guests." He opened up a communicator and punched in a well-rehearsed code.

"Xamdar, time to spring our surprises. You know what to do."

* * *

On the other end, Xamdar understood what was meant. "Yes, my lord." He closed the communicator and turned to his men. "Chondo, Thoda, come with me. We have a special surprise in mind for the Micronian scum. Go and make sure our guests are secured."

The two saluted quickly and made their way to the prisoners while Xamdar stopped at a storage container nearby. Opening the hatch, he spotted what appeared to be a cylindrical object. Tapping a button, the cylinder came to life with a humming sound. On the top, a small hatch opened up on the cylinder and a small device popped up. Xamdar quickly grabbed it and closed the container. _There's one nasty little surprise for you, Micronians. You'll be fixated on the other little gift that you'll probably ignore this one._

Xamdar then re-opened the communicator and tapped in another code.

"Watchtower, everything is in place. Await the signal to begin."

"As you command."

Closing the communicator, he walked over to another of his men, who had volunteered to remain behind. "I cannot thank you enough, Pyoto"

The other Zentraedi nodded. "It was an honor, my friend. Besides, nothing is more glorious than a fitting end. One last battle. A chance at redemption for two years ago."

"Indeed. However, Lord Khyron does not want much deviation from the plan. You are to just harass the ground forces and then initiate the first two phases."

"And the last phase?"

"That is something we'll get to watch from a reasonably safe distance. I can't say the same for the Micronians." Xamdar then handed Pyoto the object that had come from the cylinder off to the side. "Lord Khyron will contact you when it is time. When you get that signal, enter the code three-one-four-nine."

"Understood. And what are your plans?"

"I have a delivery to go make. Chondo and Thoda are going with me. I hear New Macross is nice this time of year." A broad grin crossed Xamdar's face.

Off in the distance, both warriors could hear a rumbling sound.

"From what it sounds like, they'll be here in short order. Get the men ready."

"As you command." Pyoto left the office area and headed towards the main entrance of the building.

With that, Xamdar opened a locked drawer in the desk and pulled out a USB drive. He proceeded to plug the drive into the computer in front of him. After typing in a short code, the screen came up.

 _Enter code sequence to initiate Operation Rude Awakening:_

A buzz on his personal cell phone alerted him that Chondo and Thoda had completed their task. A smile came across his face as he entered the code and tapped a key. The screen changed.

 _Operation Rude Awakening initiated. Countdown will start upon entry of final authorization code._

A chrono display came up reading 5:00. _Everything is all set,_ Xamdar thought. _Time to let Lord Khyron know._ He opened the communicator and tapped in a familiar code and then inserted a pre-programmed chip. Once the chip was loaded, he tapped a button on the side. Within a few secons, a chime alerted him that the message was sent. With that, Xamdar left the office and made his way down towards the rendezvous with his colleagues at the van.

* * *

Back at Khyron's ship, The Backstabber received a signal on his personal communicator. He flipped it open and saw the message. _Operation Rude Awakening Initiated. The Micronians suspect nothing._ He started to laugh as he closed the device.

"What's so humorous, Khyron?" Azonia demanded.

"These idiot Micronians are stumbling into a trap. They're fully expecting to find their Sorceress and Mighty Warrior waiting for rescue, but the only thing they'll be finding will be their doom." He pointed to a map of the warehouse's location.

"Behind that little ridge there, I left them a tiny surprise. Namely two full squadrons of pods."

"That's your surprise? A repeat of that disaster on that red planet? I expected more, but then again, boasting was a talent you excelled at."

Khyron gave Azona a wry look. "They're not the full surprise. Far from it. They're only there to keep our friends from getting too far away. What they don't know is that the warehouse has something rather special waiting. Something we managed to dig up."

The aspect of the trap began to dawn on Azonia, remembering a side trip Khyron had taken on the way to New Detroit. "So, in other words, we're drawing them in, and.."

"The RDF is going to get quite a bloody nose. So much so that we would be able to walk in and take what's ours after this."

Azonia smiled. "My only hope is that the traitor Miriya is flying with those worms today. The thought of her getting reduced into atoms pleases me greatly."

"Our intel reported they scrambled her squadron as the lead. This means we can take out their best pilots in one swift stroke. My only regret is that I'm not out there to personally end the lives of Skull One and the Blue Devil." Khyron poured two goblets of his favorite wine and offered one to his colleague.

"To our success and the end of the RDF."

* * *

"Everything is set," Xamdar stated as he climbed into the passenger seat of the van.

Chondo was behind the wheel, tapping in their destination into the GPS console in the front. "According to the navigation, we should arrive in about nine hours."

"Perfect. And our shipment?"

"Secured," Thoda declared.

With that, Chondo turned the key in the ignition and the van came to life.

 _Too bad I won't be here to see it, but this is going to end badly for the Micronians,_ Xamdar thought. _To see the looks on their faces when Lord Khyron goes ahead with this would be priceless._


	11. Game Changer

_A/N - After careful consideration, we're bumping this one up a level to the M territory, probably due to some potentially salty language and a few vivid descriptions in coming chapters. I always feel it's better to be safer than sorry, IMO._

To the reader mail:

 **theGhostflyer** \- It's definitely going to get ugly out there for sure. Will a nuke come into play? Not tipping my hand one way or another, but there's some more twists and turns coming up. And yeah, if anything happened to either Lisa or Miriya, I would **not** want to be Khyron. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Veritech jock.

Also, great take on the OneShots with that exact scenario.

Now, back to the action...the best way to put it would be in the words of the basis for Rick's call-sign..."And..Here..We...GO!"

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven – Game Changer**

On the ground about a few kilometers south of the target, Major Ken Stockton and the rest of the 228th Mechanized Infantry were in place and waiting for the arrival of the other component of Operation Star Saver to arrive on the scene. Taking a drag off of a cigarette, Stockton looked towards the skies. _Well, no sign of the jocks as of yet._ The operation, from what Emerson had related once he had arrived at Fort Wasatch, was plain and simple. The 228th would be main thrust on the ground and would secure the target so the Special Ops team could go in for the extraction itself. The air wing would be inbound from New Macross and would provide cover from above.

The Major made his way over to an observation point that overlooked the small valley where the target sat. Pulling up his binoculars, he took stock of what he would be up against. _For a supposed high priority target, there's not much in the way of defense here at all. Barely anything to be exact. Have to think most of their forces are holed up inside. Could get a bit nasty for the extract team._

It was at this point, he noticed a white van heading out off the property. _Guess someone got smart,_ he thought to himself. _If any of them want to get out, now's the time. Once we arrive, the only way they leave is in a body bag._ There was no change in the pattern of activity among the guards outside.

A soft buzzing started to go off in his earpiece. He tapped it quickly and responded. "Stockton."

"Major, we have inbound on vector two-two-eight. Look to be our guys."

 _About damn time they got here,_ he thought. "Good. Tell Rivers to send the signal to the flyguys that we're in position."

"Yessir!"

* * *

In the air above, Rick saw the indicator light go off on the console. _Looks like the ground pounders are in place._ He switched over to another channel.

"OK, folks. Just got the indicator that the ground forces are in place. Looks like the curtain's about to get raised."

Rick switched back to another channel and took a deep breath. _Time to let the folks back home that its go time._

* * *

Lisa stood at her post looking over the latest recon images from the Skydancer drone that was stationed over the target. _Odd,_ she thought. _There's not much activity down there at all. It's almost like they're letting us in. You would think with the captives they have, they'd lock things down a bit more._

It was just then that the alert light went on at her console. Tapping a button, the familiar view of Rick Hunter at the controls of Skull One came up on the TacNet.

"Macross Command, this is Stargazer Flight. Just got the word that Entourage is in place and we are ready to go down the red carpet."

"Acknowledged, Stargazer." She tapped another button and cut in the 228th and the Special Ops team to the transmission.

Major Stockton came up on the screen. "Command, this is Entourage. We're at our ready point and we're ready to take the stage."

Major Juan Antonio Ortiz, the commander of the Special Ops team assembled for the extraction, chimed in next. "Command, Bodyguard is all set. The limo is gassed and ready. We just got the green light to head out."

"Thank you, gentlemen." Lisa then turned towards Admiral Gloval, who was at his chair on the bridge. He took a deep breath and then nodded. _The die is cast,_ he thought. He murmured a prayer in his native Russian, _Bog zashchitit ikh. God preserve them._

Lisa turned back to the TacNet and acknowledged the three commanders on the screen.

"Operation Star Saver is a go, repeat, Operation Star Saver is a go. Primary objective is the safe extraction and rescue of our people."

All three men on the screen saluted. Stockton and Ortiz faded from view. Rick, however, hung around and nodded to Lisa quickly. Switching to a private encrypted channel, she smiled quickly, belying the nervous tension that swirled about her.

"Be careful out there, Rick."

"I will. I promised you dinner and I'm not one to go back on my word." A quick salute followed as he shut off the channel and readied himself for action.

* * *

The battalion of Destroids burst through into the clearing out in front of the warehouse in quick order, catching the few guards remaining outside by surprise. Firing their weapons quickly, the scant micronized Zentraedi forces made their way to the warehouse with due haste, trying to dodge the blasts from the large mecha bearing down on them.

As the last man made his way in, the man left in command of the warehouse forces grabbed his communicator and punched in a code.

"My Lord! Micronian forces have penetrated the perimeter and are closing in on the warehouse. Also, we have reports of multiple fighters in the air inbound. Your orders?"

Laughter came across on the other end of the device. "Not very subtle of them."

"My Lord, we've taken losses already. We were expecting regular ground forces, not mecha."

"It is of no concern. You've done well, Pyoto. Have your men fall back to the safe zone and then scatter into the winds. I have a few surprises in store for our friends."

"As you command, my Lord." With that, he turned off the device and placed it into his pocket, then turned to the men remaining in the warehouse.

"Warriors, we have our orders. We are to fall back to position eight-three-one and await further instruction from there."

One of the group spoke up. "We're not going to fight them?"

"Lord Khyron has a special surprise in mind for these fools. We were just part of the bait. Orders stand as given."

The assembled fighters came to attention, then started grabbing their gear and made their way to the position ordered. As they were on the way out, Pyoto reached back into his pocket and made sure his communicator and the small object Xamdar had given him were at the ready.

* * *

 _Damn, it was almost too easy,_ Major Stockton thought while observing the situation in his own Destroid. For the most part, there was just token resistance from the Zentraedi that were outside. Most had decided to leave before things got out of hand. There had been a few diehards that had decided to take some shots at the mechas.

 _That, however, didn't turn out so well for them,_ Stockton mused. The Destroids, not even fazed by the small arms fire that was sent their way, had been ruthlessly effective in neutralizing the situation quickly and messily. _Body bags won't work to clean that up. More like a large roll of paper towels and maybe some Ziploc bags._ _._ Reports started to come in from the other members of the 228th that the perimeter around the warehouse was secure.

"Good work, men," he stated calmly to the rest of the contingent. Stockton flipped another switch. "Command, this is Entourage. Ground around the target area is secure. Little to no resistance encountered. Guess the Zents decided it wasn't worth it and decided to bugger off."

On the other end, Lisa did everything she could from shouting at the somewhat arrogant Major. _This isn't the time for getting cocky. And to think I was thinking Rick would be the one that would be like this._ She took a deep breath before responding. "Entourage, this is Command. Good job. Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary."

"Roger, Command. We'll be on our guard." With that, the transmission ended.

Miriya, who was standing by Lisa and Claudia while the report came in, scowled a bit at this. She turned to Lisa and muttered "It was only easy because Khyron allowed it to be so. He's drawing us in."

Knowing their opponent, Lisa found herself nodding in agreement before making the next call.

"Bodyguard, this is Command. The red carpet has been laid out. Time to make your debut."

The voice of Major Ortiz crackled over the intercom. "Acknowledged, Command. The limo is rolling out now. We should be there in about ten minutes or so, barring any roadblocks."

* * *

Overhead, some of the RDF Veritechs had closed to within a few kilometers of the target and were keeping an eye on things above. One of the pilots, Rapier 8, with the callsign of Menace, noticed activity at the north end of the warehouse on his forward scanners.

"Rapier 8 to Lead, there's a whole cluster of Em Zee making a break for it up in the north. Checking in on this."

Wilcox came over the comm next. "Roger that, Menace. Grover, Chucky, get over there and lend a hand." The two pilots mentioned acknowledged quickly and made for Menace's position.

* * *

As he made his way out the back of the building, Pyoto looked to the skies and could hear the approaching Veritechs making their way towards the now-nearly abandoned warehouse. A quick smile came across his face as he tapped the fob of the communicator. _Phase One starts now._

* * *

In an area nearby, two Micronized Zentraedi sat by a number of small microwave dishes. One of the men noticed a slight vibration in his pocket. _That's our signal,_ he thought. He rose to his feet quickly and turned to his companion.

"Look alive, we just got the signal. Turn on the equipment."

The other Zentraedi nodded back and walked over to a console that was attached to some of the dishes. A few button presses and the array came to life. Over on the other side of the area was a similar setup. The first Zentraedi followed suit. As both finished their tasks, they closed up the consoles and removed them from the array before taking a hammer to both.

 _Without these, they'll have a devil of a time shutting these off. Hope you Micronian scum enjoy flying blind,_ the taller of the two warriors thought.

The shorter warrior reached into his pocket and clicked on a communicator as they drifted into the woods. _Time for Phase Two._

* * *

In one of the ridges near the warehouse, Commander Magdar bided his time with his ample squadron of battle pods. _It's been a while since we've had a proper fight,_ he mused to himself. Lord Khyron himself had briefed him earlier as to the role he and his fellow officer, Commander Dobric, would play in what was now being dubbed Operation Rude Awakening. _Not that he's much of a fan of hiding and waiting around as I am, but it did almost work pretty well on Mars._ Magdar had been there for that particular ambush and had barely escaped with his life when the Micronians surprised them by blowing the base sky high. _Today, though, it will be a much different ending. Either that, or I die trying._

It was just as he made this declaration to himself, he saw a red light blinking on his panel. He thumbed one of the switches and the HUD in the pod came up with the face of Khyron.

"Commander, the time has come. You have your orders. I expect you to fulfill them to the letter. Give our visitors a proper welcome, but when the signal comes to pull out, do so. I have an extra special surprise for these vermin."

"As you command, My Lord."

With that, the HUD went dark. Magdar then made a quick adjustment and thumbed another switch. This time, the helmeted face of his counterpart, Dobric, came up.

"Dobric, I just got the word from Lord Khyron himself. The attack is about to begin."

An evil smile came over Dobric's face. "Excellent. The men are ready to go. It's been hell trying to hold them back."

"Indeed. But now we can let loose the dogs of war. Dobric, you handle the ground forces. We'll concentrate on the air fighters. To victory!"

"To victory!"

One last communication was to be made. This one went to his squadron.

"Men, the time has come. Hit hard, hit fast. We shall be victorious! ATTACK!"

The quiet of the forest was broken by the sound of accelerating attack pods leaving their hidden locations and heading towards battle.

* * *

Rick and the rest of Stargazer Flight were closing in on the main building in the complex below. Glancing at the scanner screen, he started to notice some flickering, followed by the screen going completely dead. _Well, fine time for the scanner to bug out. I'll have to talk to Vince about this when we get back._ He tried another frequency, only to find the same result. A few more channel changes on the scanner left Rick in the same position as before. For a brief second, he stared dumbfounded at the now blank screen.

"What the hell? That's just great!"

It was then he heard the chatter on the comm channel about the same subject, only with increasingly descriptive terms best left unsaid. It was also at this point that it dawned on Commander Rick Hunter as to what was going on. _Oh crap! They're jamming us!_

* * *

At Macross Command, the first sign of trouble was noticed when the real time images being provided by the Cats Eye above started to flicker and break up. One of the techs at the control panel on the bridge noticed this quickly and started bouncing between frequencies. Every change was met with the same result; a picture that was going from bad to worse and increasing cursing from the techs on board the observation plane and back at Command.

It was something that was picked up immediately by 2nd Lieutenant Sterling. "It's the first step in any of Khyron's plans," she stated calmly to her colleagues on the bridge. "He always deploys frequency jammers to knock out any forward scanning."

Lisa gave Miriya an odd look. "Strange, he never tried that little trick before," thinking back to the many encounters the RDF had with the Backstabber during the SDF-1's journey back to Earth and afterwords.

"It's also a sign of respect for your opponent," Miriya stated. "Before this, he didn't bother because he figured that his forces would win with ease and wouldn't have to resort to his usual tactics." She remembered back to the exact terms he used in describing their opponents before his first encounter. _Nothing more than a bunch of bloody primates. Funny how I thought the same thing, only to learn otherwise._

"Although,this is Khyron we are talking about here," Lisa interjected.

A smile came across the former Zentraedi ace's face. "True. I always thought he was a bit of an arrogant ass. Humility was never one of his strong points."

"Miriya, if this is the first step, what would step two be?"

"Simple. Attack in force while the enemy is blind."

Lisa could feel her stomach rocketing towards her feet at that news. _They're walking into a trap!_ Just as Lisa was about to hail Stargazer Lead, a call came over the TacNet. Glancing down, she saw it was Rick.

"Command, this is Stargazer Lead. All our forward scanners are down. We're pretty much flying with cold noses out here."

"The Cats Eye is also seeing the same thing coming up. There's definitely a jammer in place somewhere on the grounds."

"Guess they know we're coming," Rick said with a sense of resignation. "So much for this being easy."

Lisa could only nod. "Miriya told me that jamming the scanners is the first part of Khyron's usual tactics."

 _Well, that's a first for him. Usually, when we've scrapped with him, he's come in all guns blazing. Now he's getting all tactical._ "What's the second part?"

* * *

It was just then a panicked call came over the comm from Rapier 8. "Lead, looks like we have company! They're coming in at tw..." The abrupt static on the intercom relayed the information that the Veritech that reported this was just knocked out of the fight. Up ahead, Rick saw a fireball and debris falling to the ground.

More shouts and curses came about from the other two fighters that had tagged along with the now departed Rapier 8.

"Good Lord! They're all over us and coming fr.." The all-too-familiar static cut off the call from the second fighter as it was blasted out of the sky without as much of a chance of reacting. The fatally damaged Veritech spun off and slammed into the forest area nearby.

The third fighter in the little group never had a chance to respond as it was swarmed almost immediately and had been turned into a fiery mass of melted alloys and jet fuel on the ground below.

* * *

"I guess that answered my question," Rick muttered darkly.

Rick quickly flipped to another channel while leaving the TacNet open and took a deep breath.

"Stargazer Flight, don't think I have to tell you we have a bunch of gomers coming at us. Seems Big Ugly wants us to get our folks back the old fashioned way, by earning it. Orders are pretty straight forward on this one. You see an Easter Egg, you dust an Easter Egg. We're gonna have to go with visual seeing it's cold nose city right now."

"Can't ever make it easy for us, can they?" Wilcox shot back.

"It wouldn't be Big Ugly without some sort of wrinkle thrown in."

"Roger that."

Rick nodded. "OK. Stargazer Flight. Time to show 'em what happens when they screw with the RDF! It's a target rich environment and there is a no catch limit in these parts."

The Veritechs roared off towards the advancing pods. Soon the sky with filled with the sights of deadly air combat as the two forces slammed into one another.

* * *

On the ground, Major Stockton and the 228th were completely surprised by the turn of events. It had been the cannonading sound of one of the mechas being hit by multiple energy bolts that announced the arrival of the pods. As their scanners were down, they never saw the attackers coming. The assembled Destroids began to return fire, but the element of surprise and sheer weight of numbers began to grind down the battalion.

 _Me and my big mouth,_ Major Stockton thought to himself while opening up on some of the oncoming pods. _Easy, my ass. These bastards suckered us in!_ Flipping on his intercom, he shouted out orders to his remaining men.

"OK, men! Blast any of these damn pods you see!"

He could see out of the corners of his vision that his men were returning fire in kind.

It was then that the Major saw a larger pod streaking towards him, all guns blazing. "If it's a fight you want, that's what you'll get!" he spat out. Without any hesitation, Stockton pulled both triggers and started firing at the oncoming attacker.

However, he had focused in on the larger pod so much, he completely missed the two pods that slid in behind him. Combining this with the scanner being down, the Zentraedi attackers had the element of surprise on him.

Major Stockton was not even aware of the attackers until it was far too late. The first blast took out the main servos for the mecha, leaving it dead on the ground. Alarms began going off in earnest inside of the now immobile form. _At least the guns still work,_ he thought as he returned fire on the pod in front. _Who knows, I might just take you with me._ The withering fire from the Destroid tore into the large pod in front, causing massive damage and eventually a large explosion.

 _See you in Hell, you Em Zee scumbag..._

It would be the Major's last thought as the second attacker at his rear opened fire. The concentrated energy blasts ripped through the already damaged mecha and its pilot. The Destroid shuddered for a second, then blew apart, showering the ground with smoking wreckage. The only comfort the men of the 228th could take was that their commander did not suffer long at the end.

* * *

Rick was in the process of thinking over what to do next and dodging shots from the mass of Zentraedi attackers when another panicked call came over the comm.

"Stargazer, this is Entourage. There are pods everywhere! We're taking a bit of a pounding down here! The Major's Destroid took a direct hit and he's not answering anyone. Mind getting these damn Easter eggs out of here?"

Rick sighed. _No wonder why t_ _hat didn't sound like the Major_ , he thought, reflecting on the boasts from the head of the 228th that had come over not just a few minutes prior. _On to the next order._

"Paladin, gonna need you and your guys to give those ground pounders a bit of a hand. Sounds like the Major's out of the fight."

Wilcox's voice broke over the comm as well, "More like he's gone, Joker. I saw where his Destroid was. Nothing but junk right now."

Rick shook his head. _Damnit! That was not what we needed right now._ "Understood, Paladin. Anyways, they're in a spot."

"Roger that, Joker. Come on boys, time to light these SOB's up!" Rapier Squadron broke off and roared towards the Destroid positions, fully ready to engage.

* * *

Rick continued on and moved to another improvised plan of attack as the ground forces were supposed to cover for the oncoming rescue shuttle. "Sloth, gonna need you and Nibs to ride shotgun with Bodyguard. Entourage took one on the chin and they're gonna need cover."

Ben's voice came over the comm. "No prob, Joker. Nibs and I got this. Nibs, you know what the plan is on this, right?"

"Stay close to Bodyguard and blast the living crap out of anything that even looks at them cross-eyed?" the younger pilot responded.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Ben responded with a huge grin on his face. _Yep, she's definitely cute and dangerous. My kind of woman._

"Sounds like my kind of plan, Sloth," Amelia answered back, with a smile that matched that of Ben.

Rick found himself joining in on the smiles as well. "Bodyguard, this is Stargazer Lead. I've got two of mine heading your way. Looks like you're heading into a rough neighborhood and could use some valet parking."

"Thanks for thinking of us, Stargazer" came the reply from Bodyguard. "As for the neighborhood, it's not exactly the suburbs, but it's not the South Bronx."

"Come on, Papi, you know we weren't going to leave you hanging," Rick responded, using Major Ortiz's call sign.

"Roger that, _hermano._ Let your guys know we're coming in vector two-one-nine. And it looks like the natives are getting restless." The shuttle wobbled a bit as it dodged a blast from up ahead.

"Gotcha, Bodyguard. Sloth, Nibs, you heard the man. Good luck!"

Ben and Amelia rocketed off towards Bodyguard's location.

* * *

Rick took a deep breath. "OK, as for the jammers. Command, we're gonna need a location on them stat! Once we have it, get it to me."

Lisa nodded and looked over to one side of the bridge where the scanner array was. Wasting no time, she barked out an order. "Vanessa, Kim. Get me the location of those jammers! We have to take those out, otherwise our guys are sitting ducks!"

"Got it, ma'am!" came the cry from the background.

Lisa responded quickly. "Looks like they're 2 clicks off to the Northwest, Rick."

"Thanks, Lisa." Rick then turned back to the main channel. "OK, Screech, Wallbanger, Turk. You're with me on this one. We have some jammers to wreck! Nightwing, you have the lead."

On the screen, Max appeared. "Roger that, Joker. Good luck on getting those jammers down. Skulls, keep the pressure on them! We may be blind, but we can still put a hurt on them."

Rick pushed forward on the throttle and roared off in the direction of the jamming arrays, with three other Veritechs in tow.

* * *

Watching back at Macross Command, the bridge could only watch and observe as the situation deteriorated. They had expected some resistance, but the amount that was thrown at them was a bit more than expected. With the visuals being offline, they could only follow via audio over the intercoms. Triumphant shouts after a pod was shot down were mixed with the terrified screams and tell-tale static blasts when a Veritech or Destroid were destroyed.

Perched on his seat at the top of the bridge, Admiral Gloval could do nothing more than listen. _Not exactly how we planned it, but it looks like Commander Hunter has things somewhat under control. A wrinkle like having the scanners jammed would have rattled anyone, but he handled that brilliantly._

He followed along with the chatter and got the status report on the extraction team's status. _They should be arriving in a few minutes. The sooner they get those two out of there, the better._

It was a thought shared by all on the bridge and in the fray.


	12. Flipping The Script

Quite a few reiviews to go through here before we rejoin the action...

 **theGhostflyer** \- Thanks! It was the direction I was going in with the action side of things and I'm glad folks are enjoying it. I haven't tipped my hand as to what "Phase Three" is as of yet, but it's definitely a nasty surprise to say the least. And what's to say that putting a hurt on the RDF's depth was something he wanted to accomplish in the process, win or lose? It may just play out that way down the road. I've re-read what I've written action-wise and how it flows and I'm seeing that Tom Clancy's works have been a much bigger influence than I thought..not that that's a bad thing at all.

 **sscaldwe** \- Thanks! It was something the original series never really touched on as it was all air combat (mostly b/c that's the side Rick hopped in on and Lisa ran the show on the TacNet for the jocks). The ground guys do play a bit of a role here as well as well, the air cover was just supposed to be that. As we saw in the last chapter, that kinda went up in flames.

 **Adena McGee** \- Thanks and welcome aboard! As for Rick and Lisa earlier on, it's a bit more of the realization rather than just hurt over the Comment Heard Round The World. For all we know, it could have been the last straw and the little shove he needed to put the Pop-Tart behind him. Keeping some things close to the vest, but we haven't seen the last of Minmei trying to horn her way back in. Also, I think Rick wouldn't roll like that (i.e. using Lisa as a rebound off of Minmei). Never struck me as the type that would attempt that.

Also, gotta make it a bit entertaining with all the action. If you're not on the edge of your seat, I'm not doing my job right :)

Cast wise, I was on the fence about bringing Roy back as well, but felt it was better if he sat this one out. Ben was always a favorite character of mine as well and deserved a better fate than being vaped over Toronto. Figured I'd keep the big guy around as it can make for some comedy. Baker was just a natural choice to bring up a bit faster as he's practically Rick Hunter, Jr. He'll be getting back in to the mix once they get the geese bits out of his poor Veritech. :)

Time to head back to the unfriendly skies over New Boise and see how Operation Star Saver is progressing...

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve – Flipping The Script**

It didn't take long for Rick and the other pilots with him to find the jamming array as it was situated right where Lisa had reported, two kilometers to the northwest of the warehouse complex.

Getting to it, however, was the tricky part. They had run into a swarm of pods that were fanatical in their defense of these key components of the Zentraedi plan. Some deft maneuvering and some well placed shots had been enough to clear a path towards their goal. It was at this point that Rick decided to gamble a bit.

"Screech, you stick with me. Wallbanger, Turk, keep an eye on each other."

"You got it, Joker," Turk answered back.

It was just then he noticed out of the corner of his eye that three pods were bearing in on him and his wingmen fast.

An emerald blue energy bolt shot past across the canopy of the fighter, mere centimeters from making full contact with Rick's fighter. _Damn! That was too close!_

Another shot rocketed in and slammed into the external fuel tank on the Veritech piloted by Turk, giving the unfortunate pilot zero chance of reacting or even thinking of ejecting. The other fighters had to swerve quickly to avoid the resulting explosion.

"EVASIVES NOW!" Rick shouted over the comm. Both Rick and Screech bobbed and weaved to avoid the shots pouring in on them. Wallbanger, though, was a bit slow in his reaction and it would prove costly as a shot clipped one of the missiles housed on the wing. The resulting chain reaction blasted the Veritech to pieces.

 _No time to mourn,_ Rick thought.

"Screech, bank right! We're gonna want to spin around and get behind 'em! Time for an Ali Shuffle!"

"Right with ya, Boss," the younger pilot responded quickly. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.."

It was a beautifully choreographed move by the two Veritechs as they spun off to the right, then juked left just as quick. In an instant, they were behind the three pods that had been just as hell-bent to add them to the wreckage that was littering the complex.

 _Didn't see that coming, did ya, guys?_ Rick thought to himself as he eased on the trigger and fired a short burst of 50 caliber rounds into one of the pods in front. The explosive-tipped rounds found their mark and shredded through the alloy shell of one pod like it was made out of tin foil. The pod started to break apart, showering the ground below and one of his compatriots with hot shrapnel. In turn, the shrapnel shower the second pod took was just as effective in eliminating it from the fight as the rounds were with the first pod. The second pod wobbled and started to plummet towards the surface quickly, with flames and smoke pouring out of it before it slammed into ground and erupted in flame. Rick glanced at the ground quickly and took a deep breath.

The third pod, seeing what had just happened to his counterparts, turned back and decided that falling back to a better position was the best option available. It was at this point that Screech opened fire, raking the pod with rounds that caused an explosive and fatal structural failure.

"Nice shot, Screech. Looks like our path is clear."

"Thanks, Boss. I think I see something up ahead in that clearing."

"There's our targets. They set two of the damn things up. I'll take the one on the left, you hit the one on the right. Gonna have to do this the old fashioned way seeing the locks won't work. Switch to wire guided."

"Yessir!"

Rick checked his sights and flipped a switch. Underneath, a wire guide shot out towards the jammer. The magnetic prong hit its intended mark dead square on the device. _Right in the sweet spot_ , he thought. A split second later, he squeezed the trigger, releasing a Wildfire missile from the wing. A few thousand meters off to his left, Screech was doing the exact same thing.

Both missiles arrived at about the same time and had the same effect on the non-shielded arrays. The resulting explosions ripped apart both devices with ruthless efficiency. Within mere seconds of the impact, Rick could see the scanner arrays were back online and were detecting quite a few dark red points. _Quite a few more than I expected. Even this is a lot for Khyron._

* * *

 _The Micronians are putting up a much more stubborn fight than usual,_ Magdar thought as the battle above the warehouse raged on. _I guess the bait Lord Khyron had in place was enticing enough._ He focused in on one particularly stubborn fighter that had been tearing through his division. "Men, you are to leave that blue one alone. That craft is mine and mine alone. I will deal with him when the time is right." Tapping a few buttons on the control panel, the blue Veritech was highlighted and pinpointed. _I'll just wait for you to make a mistake, Micronian. And when you do, I'll be there to teach you a lesson._

As his part of the battle was in order, Magdar could at least think to himself that it could always be in worse shape. _Oh Dobric, Dobric, Dobric. You let your enthusiasm get the best of you with that Micronian mecha._ The remainder of his forces were holding up for the most part, but now that the Micronians had their scanners back on line, it was only a matter of time before things went against them. _This plan had better be worth it. A sacrifice in vain is just a waste._

* * *

With the jammers taken care of, Rick and Screech began picking their way back towards the main theater of battle.

Rick quickly clicked over to another channel. "Paladin, this is Joker. Blindfold's been taken off. The scanners should be back and operational now. How ya holding up?"

"I've had better days, Joker," Wilcox deadpanned. "Looks like Big Ugly brought more playmates than we thought. The ground pounders took a bit of a beating, but we're hanging in there. Actually, hang on for a second."

He had noticed a pod was starting to make a bee-line towards a damaged Destroid. _That guy's a sitting duck. Not cool, Zent, not cool._ Quickly, Wilcox engaged the radar lock and got a quick tone. He squeezed the trigger and watched as one of his Wildfires shot off towards the unsuspecting enemy. A few seconds later, only a cloud of smoke and an expanding debris field on the ground marked where the pod had been. _How'd that taste?_

Wilcox calmly switched back to the TacNet. "Sorry about that, Joker. Had to teach one of our large friends some manners. My scanners are still a little wonky at the moment, but as I said, we're making the best of it." The pods were in a state of confusion after the command pod had been obliterated by Major Stockton before his Destroid was also destroyed in turn, which was making things for Rapier a bit easier.

It was then that Rick saw a group of pods barreling towards his fellow squadron commander. Checking his location, Rick made a quick decision to break off from his original track and head towards the thick of the ground fighting with his wingman in tow. In an instant, he had closed the gap between the pods and the remainder of Rapier Squadron. _Oh you're not getting the drop on them at all, guys._

"Paladin, you got a bunch of unfriendlies heading your way!"

"Crap! The bastards got smart. Time to knock the stupid back into 'em!" Wilcox and his two wingmen spun into action, maneuvering quickly into a better firing position. However, the pods arrived first and opened up on the fighters, scattering them in different directions. One of the shots caught one of Wilcox's wingmen, shattering the wing of the fighter and sending it spinning off into the forest. _Thankfully he was able to eject,_ Wilcox observed as he saw the chute open up off in the distance. _One of the few today._

The other pods began to close in on the two remaining fighters, aiming to take them down one by one. However, they hadn't counted on two new entries into this contest.

Splitting off, Rick chased after the two pods that were looking to add Wilcox to the kill total for the day.

"Jeez, they're starting to close in here a bit!" Wilcox radioed in while dodging energy bolts. "A little help here, please!"

Without even saying a word, Rick had been able to get the drop on Wilcox's two pursuers. Quickly changing modes, Skull One went from a lethal jet fighter to a lethal war mecha. Catching the two pods by surprise, Rick opened up on the first pod, ripping it to shreds rather quickly. The second one, however, was able to extend one of the legs and kick the gun pod out of the mecha's hand. _Well, so much for that plan,_ Rick thought. It was then he had a quick thought and went forward with an improvised attack. The mecha proceeded to throw a devastating haymaker into the side of the pod, splitting it open. Inside of the pod, the pilot caught the full force of the mecha's punch. Rick peered inside and felt a bit queasy. _Looks like a jar of strawberry jam exploded in there. Messy, but effective._

The mecha tossed the now useless pod aside, watching it plummet downwards. Switching to Guardian mode, Rick piloted over to where his mecha's gun pod lay and picked it up.

"Hey Joker," Wilcox stated over the comm. "Thanks. I think I definitely owe you a beer after that one."

Rick smiled. "Not going to lie, a cold one sounds good right about now. Lets make sure we're back home first."

"Roger that."

Rick put the craft back into its fighter mode and sped off towards the expanding battle above the warehouse with Screech in tow.

Nearby, the remainder of Rapier Squadron was stemming the wave of attackers from completely wiping the 228th off the face of the Earth. The deadly dances between Vertiech and battle pod, with the addition of an occasional functional Destroid chiming in from the ground continued on unabated.

* * *

Rick then turned his attention to his own squad. "Nightwing, how are the kids holding up? We're not flying with cold noses anymore. Screech and I are inbound to lend a hand."

"It's been a one hell of a furball out here, boss, but we're managing," Max responded coolly as he was maneuvering around and blasting another pod from the sky. Much like the Rapiers, Skull Squadron was in the thick of the fight, keeping the pods at bay in the not-so-controlled chaos.

It was just then Max saw one of the newer pilots in the squad had a pod right on his six. "Oh no, you don't!" he muttered to himself as he bobbed and weaved his way towards the ongoing pursuit. In an instant, Max had settled in behind the pod and quickly peppered the enemy mecha with 50 caliber rounds. The shots from the Veritech had the desired effect as the pod quickly turned into a flaming mass and plummeted down. The younger pilot breathed a sigh of relief and re-entered the fray.

Max calmly made his way towards another gathering of pods, unleashing one of his Wildfire missiles in the process. The missile slammed into the group before they even had a chance to react, turning three into scrap metal immediately and causing another to limp off with significant and probably fatal damage.

 _Scratch four more,_ Max thought. _It's definitely a fight, but they're kind of holding back._

It was just then that Rick and Screech re-entered the fray that had been pretty much a stalemate between the RDF's top squadron and a squadron that Khyron counted among their best. Both sides had scored their share of hits, as the smoking wreckage that littered the ground below attested to.

"Nightwing, any reading on that command pod?"

"Negative, Joker. Guy's pretty damn elusive. Thought I had a bead on him earlier, but one of his other guys got in the way and took one for the team, so to speak."

"Kind of odd he's hanging back a bit."

"It's like he's waiting for something."

* * *

Inside the command pod, Magdar cringed at the sight of the newest participants in the fracas. _Where the Blue Devil is, the Bringer of Death is never too far behind,_ he thought. The development was not a welcome one, but was also not unexpected.

Thinking the best of it, Magdar sent out another transmission to his forces.

"Change of plans, men. Do not engage the blue one or the black and gold one. They are to be left to witness what Lord Khyron has in store." _Also, only a fool would try to take them on. A Zentraedi does not fear death in battle, but to attack them would be suicidal._ "As for the others, do with them as you please."

It was then he saw he was being hailed by one of his men. Switching back to another channel, Magdar heard one of his more experienced warriors come over the speakers.

"Sir, It looks like there's a few more Micronians arriving. Bearing zero-eight-three from the south. Appears to be a transport of some sort."

 _So, they have a transport for the hostages. We might as well make it a bit more of a challenge for them._

"Very good, Ruzan. Take Corvat and Blyd with you and intercept them. Any damage that can be dealt out would be most satisfactory."

"Yes, sir!"

He watched as the three rocketed off towards the south.

* * *

Bodyguard's approach had been a bit heavier than expected as a few of the pods realized that the shuttle craft was lightly armed and appeared to not be very well defended. As three pods approached, they overlooked two Veritechs approaching quickly. The lead opened up on the pods, blasting one out of the sky quickly and making the other two scatter.

Ben smiled as he watched the wreckage fall to the ground. "That's six for the day, Nibs! Stick with me and you'll learn something!"

"By my count, I'm up to four," Amelia responded. It was just then she spotted one of the stragglers near the shuttle. She got a quick bead on one of the pods trying to leave and opened up with her forward cannons, demolishing it. "Actually, scratch that, we're at five now."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the third of the group, trying to sneak around to get behind the shuttle. _Nice trick,_ she thought. _Here's a nicer one._

Amelia pulled back on the thruster while pulling the stick up and to the left. The resulting corkscrew move placed her Veritech right on a course to collide with the pod. However, in a last second move, the Veritech switched to Battleoid mode and drew the large cannon out. She pointed the cannon right up against what appeared to the front of the pod.

"Hey bub, this is my boomstick!" she yelled out as the mecha's finger squeezed the trigger.

The resulting shot from the gun pod burst through the back end of the machine and had an explosive effect on the interior and the Zentraedi warrior at the controls, painting the interior a dark shade of red. The crippled pod fell from the sky and crashed to the ground below. With the way clear, Amelia changed the Veritech back to its fighter mode and caught up to Ben.

"What was that about learning something, Sloth?" Amelia said with a smile. "Oh, that's six here too. Fancy that."

For once, Ben Dixon found himself speechless. _Mental note: Never under any circumstances do you piss Amelia off._

A wave of laughter came over the comm. "I think you've met your match, Sloth."

"In more ways than one, Papi," Ben responded with a smirk.

* * *

Rick and Screech had joined up with the rest of the Skulls and were now in the thick of the fighting in the areas around the warehouse. Slowly but surely, the Veritechs were pushing the pods further and further back. However, the numbers game was starting to catch up with the RDF forces.

"We just have to hang on for a few more minutes," Rick shouted. "All we need to do keep things clear for Bodyguard to get here and do their thing."

Wilcox decided to join in on the conversation. "What'd those guys do? Stop for coffee?"

A sarcastic reply from Ben came back, "Sorry I didn't get your order, Paladin. Didn't know if you wanted a machiatto or a latte."

Rick saw the black shuttle and the two Veritechs guarding it intently coming closer to the warehouse. "Sloth, Nibs, good work keeping Bodyguard safe."

"No probs, Joker. We took care of business."

"More like I had to save him. Twice," came the rejoinder from Amelia.

 _The partners may change, but it's always a case of Ben being Ben,_ Rick thought with a smile. Snapping back into command mode, he glanced over at a location right near the entrance to the warehouse. It was a mass of blazing Veritech, Destroid, and Zentraedi pod wreckage. _And the hits just keep on comin'..._

"Bodyguard, I think your original El Zee is out of the question. Looks like someone double parked on it."

"We see that. Anything further out is going to make this a bit of a challenge. Any ideas on a Plan B, Joker?"

"Working on that, Papi," Rick responded. _Alright, the front door is pretty much out of the equation at this point. Think, Hunter, think. Where can they park this thing and make a clean getaway?_

It was then Max spotted something.

"Joker, I have an idea. Why not have them crash the stage, so to speak?"

Rick realized what Max was suggesting. "Screech, Sloth, Nibbler! Go to Battleoid and follow my lead! Nightwing, Paladin, keep the pods off of us!"

With that, he pulled on the lever marked B on the console. In an instant, Skull One transformed from a lethal jet fighter into an even more lethal mechanized warrior. The other three followed suit and hovered a short distance above the warehouse. Rick had his Veritech aim the gun pod directly down. The others followed suit.

"Open fire!"

All four Veritechs let loose with a barrage of sustained fire from the gun pods. It had the desired effect as the roof buckled and let go, leaving a large hole for the special operations shuttle to land.

"Bodyguard, I believe your parking spot is waiting. Let's make sure we don't have anyone coming over to key it or worse."

* * *

"Saw that, Joker. Nice thinking," Bodyguard Lead responded. "Command, this is Bodyguard. We're getting ready to hit the stage."

The shuttle landed gracefully and opened up to allow Ortiz's strike team to deploy. The black suited men fanned out in all directions after debarking, widening their search of the building for the two captives.

Within minutes, Ortiz could hear one of his men shouting back over the pickup, "Sir, there's a cage with a drape over it about 100 meters over to the left. Just like what was on the transmission. I think we found them."

Ortiz took a deep breath and responded. "Good work, Bates! Dollman, Yancy, you stay with the ride. The rest of you, get over to where Bates is on the double!"

* * *

In his command pod, Commander Magdar saw a red light on his display, followed by an image of Lord Khyron appearing on the HUD.

"Commander, you are ordered to fall back to the failsafe position. You and your men have fought well and are worthy of mention in the Archives."

"Thank you, my Lord." He quickly flipped channels to another.

"All pods, pull back to three-eight-one and await further instructions. Repeat, all pods pull back to three-eight-one now. This is a direct order. Disobeying means immediate termination."

As he made his way towards the rendezvous point, Magdar could only wonder what Khyron had in store for the Micronians that would have him actually having forces in battle disengage.

* * *

As suddenly as the fight in the skies had started, it ended just as abruptly as the battle pods began to fall back and head off in a northerly direction. _Well, that's something new. Never knew Big Ugly to shy away from a fight,_ Rick thought. He quickly brought up the TacNet connection.

"Command, this is Stargazer Lead. Looks like the pods are bugging out of here. Want us to pursue?"

At Macross Command, Lisa noticed that the pods were starting to fall back after Rick brought it up. _That's pretty odd behavior for any Khyron led force. Usually, they stay in the fight until they've won or there's none of them left.._ She quickly tapped the main button on her console following Rick's query. "Negative. We may need the cover for Bodyguard if they decided to come on back."

"Yes, ma'am. OK kids, let 'em scamper off. We've lost enough today, no need to add to it."

* * *

The screen changed from the overhead display from the Cats Eye to the POV camera attached to Major Ortiz. They could now see the room with the cage that held Minmei and Kyle. Ortiz's voice came over the speakers on the bridge.

"Command, this is Bodyguard. We're now in the room where our people are being held. There's no sign of any Em Zee forces anywhere in the building. We're making our way over to the cage now."

"Roger that, Bodyguard. We're patching the video through."

* * *

Back at his command station, Khyron smiled. A monitor came up and showed the interior of the warehouse. He sat back in his chair, holding a goblet of his favorite wine and thumbing a communicator device. _Phase three is about to hit and the Micronians will learn why I dubbed this "Rude Awakening."_

* * *

Ortiz and his commandos approached the cage slowly. "Miss Minmei? Mr. Kyle? This is Major Ortiz of the RDF Special Forces! We're here to get you out of this mess and get you folks home. Are you okay?"

No response was forthcoming. Ortiz began to have a feeling of dread. "Givens, Randolph, get that drape off that damn cage. That _maricon_ better not have hurt our people!"

The two commandos made their way over to the captive's cage and pulled down the curtain covering it. What they saw, or more what they _didn't_ see surprised everyone. The cage did look like there had been captives in it, as there were blankets, food containers, and a bucket off in the corner. But that was it. Nothing else. No sign of either captive.

The silence lasted about a minute before Ortiz spoke for everyone.

" _Madre a Dios!_ They're not here!"

* * *

Up in the air, Rick watched the spectacle unfold on his TacNet screen. "Say again, Bodyguard?"

"I think the video camera speaks for itself, Joker. No sign of either Minmei or Kyle."

Rick was torn between wanting to punch something or throw up. He quickly brought up the private connection to Command and a very puzzled and shaken Lisa popped up on the screen.

"Lisa, we got duped!"

* * *

Lisa, like the others, was dumbfounded at the sight on the main screen. On the terminal, she could see Rick's puzzled and overall stunned look as he tried to register and comprehend what had happened.

She turned quickly to Miriya, who had a concerned look on her face.

"There's always a third part to his plans."

Lisa started to feel the color drain slowly from her face. "I'm almost afraid to ask."


	13. Worlds Crashing Down

Just taking care of a few reviews before we get into the next chapter...

 **sscaldwe** \- Unpredictability breeds fear, and Khyron is looking to feed off of this. Lisa and the others have plenty to fear. Thanks for the kind words..and here I was all worried I wasn't going to pull off the action parts that well lol. Glad you're enjoying it!

 **theGhostflyer** \- Khyron may be crazy, but he's crazy like a fox. We did get a hint of the slyness in the series near the end with Season's Greetings, but for the most part he was more of the brute force type throughout. He's their main foe and I figured he'd show the deviousness that earned him that Backstabber nickname. Well, I've hinted at something hidden, but I haven't said if we're going full Hiroshima here or not, and that ordinary white van comes into play sooner than anyone thinks. Funny you say something about the upcoming chapter being a blast...just wait and read :)

 **jag389** \- Thanks! Seeing there's a few here, I'll hit it one at a time. Rick vs. Khyron may just be happening at some point before the end of the story. And seeing Rick held his own with Breetai relatively early on, it could be rather interesting to say the least.

I had to get Emerson involved as he goes on to watch over Dana and Bowie when the 3 leaves. Definitely wanted to make him into someone that our heroes would trust. Never was a fan of Ol' Anatole. Hence, why he got the Meatgrinder nickname early on. Should be interesting as it goes forward if he shows up. There's one other guy that I don't have much love for that will be making a cameo soon enough as well.

Not sure of Kyle's fate as of yet. Right now, he's got other worries lol.

And everyone seems to think they got a nuke...maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Just have to read to find out. And yeah, things are about to go due south for our intrepid little band of heroes real quick.

Lastly, thanks for the kind words from everyone on the action sequences. It was a part of the story that I was worried about, but I'm glad it's meeting to approval.

* * *

Also saw there's a few more people following along. Welcome aboard and don't be afraid to leave a comment. Feedback is good.

So, as for this entry, it's a long one. Definitely the longest chapter I've written so far. There's more in the works as this is far from being over. Sit back, and get your popcorn ready...

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen – Worlds Crashing Down**

Khyron laughed as he saw the reaction of the strike team in the room staring at the empty cage. _They completely fell for it. I can only imagine how the Micronians back at Macross Command are taking this._ He clicked the button on the communication device, then tapped another button. _Phase three begins now._

In front of the stunned rescue team, a large monitor nearby powered up and came to life. The large visage of a maniacally grinning Khyron greeted them.

"Ah, the valiant rescue party arrives to save the day. It appears you are a little too late. The Sorceress and the 'mighty warrior'," which he punctuated with quotation marks in the air, "are sadly not here right now. As to where they are, that is none of your concern." Khyron then clicked on a device in his hand and smiled.

"Now, don't think I'm a horrible entertainer. I always enjoy leaving my company a special gift."

A strange rumbling started up off to the side of the cage as the floor opened up and a platform began to rise up. On the platform was a something that made Ortiz's blood run cold.

 _Holy crap! Is that what I think that is?_

On the platform was a warhead. Ortiz took a quick glance and made a horrifiying realization. _That looks like a r_ _eflex warhead!_ There was a timer attached to it, the digital display reading "5:00". _If this thing goes off, everything within a kilometer will be vaporized._ Studying the weapon quickly, he realized there was not going to be a chance of being able to disarming it. _Besides, clipping the wires only works in the movies._ Thinking quickly, Ortiz took a scanner out and pointed it at the warhead, then tapped a button on the side. _Hopefully they can get an idea of what this thing is back at Command. Either way, this is not good._

Over on the video screen, Khyron continued to smile and held up a device in his right hand. He pressed down on a button with his thumb. Over on the warhead, the timer beeped and started to count down.

Ortiz did not waste any time. "GET BACK TO THE SHUTTLE! DOUBLE TIME IT, BOYS!"

* * *

Up above, Rick could only watch in horror at the scene that unfolded on the monitor in front of him. The usual chatter on the comm channels ground to a halt as soon Khyron had mentioned the words "special gift" and the warhead was brought into view. _Son of a bitch! He_ _never had any intent of parlaying,_ he thought as a wave of anger rose. _Guess we just doubled down on the awful._

* * *

At Macross Command, Admiral Gloval wasted no time as he walked down from his command perch down towards Lisa's station. Tapping a button, he opened up a channel to all the forces involved in Operation Star Saver.

"Attention all RDF forces. This is Admiral Gloval. All RDF forces are ordered to withdraw. Operation Star Saver is officially aborted. All forces, pull back now!"

"Admiral, this is Stargazer Lead," Rick responded over the comm. "You don't have to tell us twice. All craft, we just got the scram order from Command. Time to leave!"

* * *

At Fort Wasatch, Lieutenant Emerson watched everything unfold with growing dread. _Definitely won't be enough time to get everyone clear,_ he pondered briefly. _Doesn't mean we won't try like hell to make it happen though._ Without losing a beat, he turned to one of the officers standing nearby.

"How many transports are on base?"

"About fifteen, sir."

"Scramble them. And also let the medical ward to expect inbound. Triage level three. And be quick about it. We don't have any time to lose!"

The other officer saluted and ran off, barking orders.

Emerson then walked over to the communications array and picked up a receiver.

"228th Mechanized, you heard the Admiral! Fall back, repeat, fall back now. Disengage and fall back!"

On one of the monitors, the few Destroids that were still operational began to lumber back toward the forward location they had staged the attack from.

* * *

In the wholesale effort to get back to something resembling safety, the extraction team managed to overlook something. It was something that their observer on the screen noticed while watching the Micronians scramble away to safety.

 _If they only knew what was else was left behind,_ Khyron thought. _Oh well, they'll find out soon enough._ Khyron watched as the chrono in front of him kept track of the countdown, holding his communicator and waiting for the perfect moment.

In this moment of perfect contentment, one of his aides came forward.

"My Lord, it appears that the Micronians are leaving with all due haste."

This news was something Khyron had not wanted to hear. He glanced down at a readout on the console. It was that of an advancing bar with percentages above it. 55 _%...60%...Can't this damn thing be ready any faster? Well, I guess I'll have to amend things._

"Well, we just can't have that. Contact Commander Magdar and tell him to send ten of his pods back."

"Only ten, my Lord?"

A sharp look from the Zentraedi leader stopped the aide in his tracks.

"Ten will be more than enough to pin them down long enough for what we have in store. Now GO!"

"As you command, my Lord!"

* * *

Back at Macross Command, the normal hustle and bustle during action had come to a crashing halt upon the introduction of the warhead. Lisa stood at her post absolutely dumbfounded at what had just transpired. Glancing at her terminal quickly, she saw that Ortiz had sent the findings from his hand-held scanner. _No radioactive materials present,_ she thought while breathing a slight sigh of relief. _Still, there's enough detrite in that thing to make that whole building and a good chunk of the area around it into a smoking crater when it goes off._

Taking a second to compose herself, she hit the button on the TacNet, bringing it back to life. "Starlight, Entourage, the good news, if there is any, is that the warhead is not, repeat, not a nuke."

"Well, that's a little bit of a relief," Rick shot back. "I'm guessing there's a catch to this, isn't there?"

The sour look on Lisa's face confirmed it. "However, it's packed with detrite. From the estimates, it's got a good 150 kilos worth in there."

Rick did the math quickly in his head. _That much detrite would mean..._

"That's going to make for quite a big bang."

She nodded. Just then, Rick heard Ben shout out over the comm, "Boss, we got a bunch of gomers coming in towards our position at the warehouse! Bearing two-one-six! Count about ten at least!"

"I'm not leaving that shuttle undefended, Lisa. They don't have the firepower to fight with or the horsepower to outrun those pods."

Knowing that was going to be the answer no matter what and not wanting to argue the point, Lisa sighed. "Understood Starlight Lead. Please use all caution and make sure you and your men get clear. I've patched through the countdown timer from the warhead."

Rick nodded. "Roger that, Command." He glanced down at the timer that had been added to the display. _Three and a half minutes 'til all Hell erupts around us,_ he thought. Rick next turned his attention to the remaining fighters. "OK folks, things are about to get really off the rails here in a few minutes. Looks like Big Ugly doesn't want us to leave in a hurry. There's ten guys that drew the short straw heading right at us."

Wilcox responded quickly. "Only ten? Our stock has fallen, Joker."

"Apparently so. But they could also screw us enough that we get caught in the shockwave when Khyron's little present goes boom. Anyways, our goal is to make sure Bodyguard doesn't get caught in this as well."

Rick then switched his attention to the ground. "It looks like Entourage has been able to double time it out of there." _Not that there was much left to them at this point,_ he added silently. "Lock and load, kids. Orders are as follows. Those ten dumb bastards don't get to tell the tale of this adventure!"

One last call had to be made. "Hey, Papi! You guys back in the limo yet?"

"We're all buckled in, Joker," Ortiz called back. "Lifting off...now!"

It was at this point that a few bolts of blue energy streaked past. "May want to speed up that timetable, Papi. We got company! Stargazer Flight, all craft engage! Protect Bodyguard at all costs!"

Rick had no hesitations in action, targeting a pod quickly and pulling on the trigger with a bit more force than usual. _If this is the game you want to play, Khyron,_ he thought as the rounds tore through the target, reducing it to scrap in milliseconds. The other Veritechs screamed into the fray just as quickly as Rick did, catching the oncoming pods a little off-guard. A cacophony of cannon blasts and missile fire greeted the harassment force as the RDF fighters cut through the oncoming pods as if they were a scythe cutting through a batch of tall grass.

* * *

Over at one of the scanning arrays at Macross Command, a technician monitoring some of the different atmospheric levels began to notice a jump in the electromagnetic activity around the warehouse. _That's odd. That shouldn't be happening, unless..._ A harsh realization dawned on the tech about what was occurring and deciding that this was not a time for caution, she did the only thing she could do and hailed one person that could get the word out.

It was at this moment while monitoring latest outbreak of hostilities that Lisa saw something pinging on the console. _Atmospheric Monitoring? What the hell are they calling for now?_

"Go ahead. And this had better be good."

"Ma'am, we're picking up a serious spike in electromagnetic activity in that area. It looks to be centered on the warehouse itself."

Miriya happened to be standing nearby Lisa on the bridge when she overheard that information and knew what was happening.

"EMP bomb," she said with a sense of horror. "It's a fail-safe. Another way for him to keep everyone from escaping."

The realization that the situation had just gone from slightly out of control into full on untenable dawned on Lisa at that moment. An EMP bomb would unleash an electromagnetic pulse that would fry any circuit in its vicinity. _The Veritechs, Destroids, and the shuttle would all be sitting ducks when the warhead goes off._

Miriya thought for a second and a smile came across her face. "Knowing the ones we, I mean the Zentraedi forces, use, they're effective only in a lateral sense."

"You mean..?"

"If Commander Hunter and the rest of the fighters and that transport can get high enough off the surface, they may be able to manage to lessen any damage."

"How far up?"

Making the quick conversion from standard Zentraedi measurements to ones the Micronians were used to, Miriya had a number quickly.

"Ten kilometers."

Not even hesitating, Lisa stabbed at one of the buttons on the console in front of her.

* * *

 _Way too easy, but just enough to delay our departure,_ Rick thought as he saw the shuttle lifting off from the warehouse. Glancing down at the timer on his display, he noticed it had just dropped below the two minute mark. The pods had been quickly and ruthlessly dealt with. All ten had lasted maybe a minute at the most after their arrival, as the flaming wreckage below detailed. _This is gonna be cutting it a bit closer than I liked._

Right then, he saw the TacNet come to life and the face of an extremely worried Lisa Hayes pop up.

"Rick, you have to get out of there now! There's an EMP charge about to go off!"

"An EMP? Well, he really thought of everything." Rick knew if they got hit with the full force of the pulse, the technological marvel he was sitting in would be as aerodynamic as a brick. _And it would fall to the ground just like one too._

"Commander Hunter," Miriya interjected. "There is a way to get around it."

"How so? Find a ton of tinfoil and wrap it over our Veritechs and the shuttle? I don't think the local Wal-Mart has enough to help out on this one." Ben cracked back.

"Not the time for humor, Lieutenant Dixon." Miriya continued on. "Anyways, if you get to a certain height, you should be able to avoid the worst of it. These were mostly designed as surface weapons."

"OK, how far up are we talking, Miriya?"

"Ten kilometers."

"That shouldn't be a problem for the Veritechs. It's the shuttle I'm more worried about. Hey, Papi, how high can that thing go?"

"Maybe six clicks at the most."

A sense of dread and worry started to wash over the Veritech pilots, the occupants of the shuttle, and Macross Command.

Thinking it over, Rick suddenly had an idea pop into his head. Khyron would have called it madness, Rick called it their only shot.

"Screech, Nibs, Doggie, Javelin, switch to Guardian and grab on to the shuttle. Papi, when I give the order, cut the power to the engines and let us do the rest."

In an instant, the four Veritechs switched into Guardian mode and took positions around the shuttle, using the mecha arms to grab on.

Inside the shuttle, Ortiz said a quick prayer and turned to his men. "Buckle up, guys. Looks like we're gonna need a jump start to get out of this mess!"

Rick glanced down at the timer. _We're at about a minute twenty now. It's now or never._ He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Papi, cut 'em NOW! Guardians, put it into overdrive!"

The engines on the shuttle came to a halt while the Guardians powered up and went to full throttle. With a shudder, the craft began to rise on an arc towards the skies.

"As for the rest of us, time to leave this party! Get to ten clicks up and level off there!"

The other Veritechs roared off towards the skies and, hopefully, safety.

* * *

On the console in front of him, Khyron finally saw the status bar hit 100%. _And you all thought you escaped,_ he thought with a sadistic grin on his face. He turned the communicator on and punched in a new code.

Somewhere in the forests away from the warehouse, Pyoto heard a high pitched chirp coming from his communicator. Opening it up, he saw the message from Lord Khyron himself. _It is time,_ he thought as he took out another small device. He glanced at it quickly and saw the keypad, then proceeded to punch in the code Xamdar had given him earlier. He clicked on the Send button with a smirk on his face. _Little tough to escape a big explosion if your mecha doesn't work, Micronian scum._

Inside the warehouse, a high pitched whine came from one of the storage containers followed by a bright blue light. Throughout the warehouse, abandoned computers, monitors, and viewscreens began to arc strangely and then lose power.

* * *

At Macross Command, the atmospheric monitoring post saw the blast emit from the warehouse and spread across the complex. The view on their monitors was immediately linked to Lisa's console on the bridge. Wasting no time, she immediately called over.

"Get me a top down view, now!"

The view switched to a semi-graphical view. Lisa watched as the blue blob expanded outwards and upwards. "Add in the Veritechs and the shuttle." A number of blips came up with a number bunched together. Checking the telemetries of the cluster, she saw that it was the shuttle with four Veritechs assisting it to get to the hight needed. _Good thinking, Rick,_ she thought. _Remind me to compliment him on that one if he...no wait, **when** he gets back. _She also saw one or two of the blips closest to the blue blob waver and drop towards the the graph, only to blink quickly and then fade away. Silently praying, she got back to the task at hand of trying to get the others back home in one piece.

* * *

"How far up are we, Nibs?" Screech shouted out.

"Eight clicks and rising. Starting to get some wonkiness on the system though. That pulse is getting closer."

The first real sign of trouble was when Javelin called out over the comm. "Sys..ing..flne...Lo...rip." In the back of the shuttle one of the Guardians started experiencing engine trouble and was losing the firm grip on the wing it had. Within a split second, the craft fell back and tumbled towards the ground. At the same time, Doggie began to experience a complete system shutdown as the pulse's effects caught up to his craft as well. Much like Javelin, the other affected Guardian fell back towards the surface like a rock. The systems failure also prevented any chance of the pilots from ejecting as the ejection system was tied into the computers.

Amelia saw what was happening and felt a wave of terror come over her. _Two aren't gonna be enough._

"Crap! Joker, we're down two! Pulse did a number on Javelin and Doggie. We're still a click short here and I don't think Screech and I have the horses to get this bucket of bolts any higher."

Rick had noticed the issue almost immediately. "Nightwing, I think they're going to need a bit of a hand on this one."

Over the TacNet, Max nodded. "What are we waiting for then?"

The two experienced pilots shot their way over to the struggling shuttle and switched into Guardian mode, taking the place of the two fallen Veritechs. Once they had a grip on the craft, both Rick and Max opened up the throttle to full.

 _Come on, come on, MAKE IT!_ Rick thought to himself as pushed the throttle of his fighter as far as he could. He could see some flickering of his systems as the EMP pulse started to get closer to his craft. "Not today, Big Ugly. Not today," he muttered as he coaxed whatever extra power he could out of the craft.

It was then that he checked the altimeter. _Ten clicks up!_ He breathed a huge sigh of relief at seeing the reading come across.

"Bodyguard, we're at the ten click mark. We're clear!"

" _Gracias_ , Joker," Ortiz responded with a sigh of relief. "Gonna need you guys to get us back to that six click mark once we're in the safe zone. If I try to go on my own, it'd be messy."

"Roger that, Papi. Let's put some space between this place and us." Rick took a quick glance at the timer. "Right now, we have about fifteen seconds before this place lights up and I'd rather watch this from a distance rather than up close!"

"Preaching to the damn choir, Joker," Wilcox grumbled.

"And to think I wanted to get a summer place around these parts," Max chimed in.

"I'll pass," Rick retorted. "Neighbors are too damn noisy."

* * *

At Command, the view had changed back to the Cats Eye as it was more than safely above the EMP blast that had come out a minute prior. As the timer hit zero, the picture changed from the warehouse to a bright white light as the detrite warhead detonated.

Up at the top of the bridge, Lisa watched the resulting chaos on the viewscreen with a sense of dread and absolute horror. _Oh God! Rick!_ She composed herself as best she could and stabbed at the comm button on the console.

"Stargazer Flight, report!"

Static.

"Stargazer Flight, this is Command, you copy?"

Another burst of static.

 _No._

She switched to her private channel.

"Rick, come in! Are you okay?"

The tell-tale static burst did nothing to answer her question. Tears started welling up in her eyes. _No! Please, no! Not like this! RICK!_

Claudia could only shake her head as she watched her friend pleading for Rick to check in. _I know all too well what Lisa's going through. Hell, she knows it all too_ _well._ She turned her gaze skyward. _Roy, if Rick's up there with you, tell him I'll keep an eye on Lisa._

Nearby, Miriya was processing the situation as it was unfolding. _Maximillian would not have left Commander Hunter's side. If the Commander isn't responding, then..._ The feelings of sadness were replaced rapidly by cold anger. _Khyron, if you harmed my companion, I swear I will hunt you across the galaxy and I will end your miserable existence by any means necessary._ She looked over at Lisa, who was close to completely losing it at her post as she tried to hail Rick on the TacNet. _And if you harmed Commander Hunter, I will gladly and willingly assist Captain Hayes in hunting you down as a favor to her._

* * *

Admiral Gloval sat back in his chair and looked skywards as well. _This was a dark day. And if we lost both Skull and Rapier with all hands, it's that much darker. We come home empty handed and we're down some of our best pilots._ He took out his pipe and shot Sammie a look as he was about to light it. _Not the day to lecture about smoking on deck. Not after this._ To her credit, Sammie thought the better of any recitation of RDF Bridge Guidelines at the moment.

Taking a long puff, he looked down at his XO and her reaction. _That confirms the rumors that have been going around the bridge. Losing Hunter would be devastating on a professional level as this would lose me one of my best pilots. Personally, it would be doubly hurtful as it would destroy Captain Hayes. Lisa, it's plainly obvious you love him._ Wasting no time, Gloval stood for a second.

"Captain Hayes, a word please."

As the usually unflappable Captain made her way towards the Admiral's location, Henry couldn't help but notice the abject terror and sadness on her face.

"Captain, do you need to be relieved? If you do, I completely understand."

"No, sir," she responded, with a little less conviction than normal, but enough to get her point across.

 _The Hayes stubbornness shines through,_ Gloval thought. _Still, I need her to be level headed._ "Understood, Captain. But I need you to be on point. Our people are still out there."

"Yes, sir. Permission to go back to my post?"

"Granted, but Lisa, I meant it about being on point. We're all worried, but we still have a job to do and there's zero confirmation one way or the other. If I see any wavering, I will relieve you on the spot. I don't want it to come to that."

"Understood, Admiral."

Gloval took a puff off of the pipe as his XO walked back to her post. _A dark day, indeed._

* * *

Rick clicked on the TacNet connection back to Command to report in. _Lisa must be having kittens up on the bridge right now,_ he thought as he broadcast.

"Command, this is Stargazer flight. Come in."

A burst of static greeted his call.

"Command, Stargazer Flight reporting in. Please respond."

Still more static came back in response. He switched to a different, more private channel.

"Lisa! It's Rick! We got out of there! You copy?"

Nothing.

"Are you frigging **kidding** me?!" Rick shouted out. "What the hell else can go wrong?" _It's probably gone from having kittens to full blown panic now,_ he thought.

"Paladin, Nightwing, Sloth! Can any of you get a hold of Command? My long range comm is shot to hell thanks to that friggin' EMP blast."

"Negative, Joker. Can't phone home either," Wilcox responded quickly. "Guess it got me too."

"Nothing, Boss," Ben chimed in. "Screech and Nibs report the same thing."

"Nothing here, Joker," Max added. "Miriya's on the bridge. Knowing her, she's probably on her way to the flight deck to search for us, kill Khyron, or both. And God bless anyone trying to stop her."

 _And seeing I'm involved in this, Lisa won't be in any mood to even attempt to reason with her. Hell, Lisa would probably want to hop into a Veritech herself to tag along,_ Rick thought. He checked the scanners, which, by some miracle were somewhat functional. "OK, the bingo field at Fort Wasatch is about thirty minutes from here. Dunno about you guys, but I definitely don't have enough juice to get back to Homeplate. Paladin, let's get a head count going so we can at least alert 'em when we get in range so we can do a splash and dash."

"Roger that."

Rick flipped a switch on this scanner and started counting. _OK, we have me, Max, Ben, Screech, Nibs, and...that's **it**?_ A wave of anger took hold and manifested itself quickly.

"Joker, it's Paladin. Head count for Rapier is done," Wilcox responded, with a tone that was equal measure sadness and anger. "It's me, Plucky, and Hobbes left. Counting my guys that got hit by the Zent Geese Squadron, Rapier Squadron is down to six total. We didn't get a punch to the face on this one. We took a punt right to the balls, Rick."

The anger that was building up in Rick grew.

"Guess it was crotch shots for everyone, Tom. I have myself, Nightwing, Sloth, Screech, and Nibbler here now. With my two that went home after the goose swarm, Skull's down to eight, counting Deadpool, who's on the bridge."

"Jesus."

 _We sent thirty-nine out. Thirteen make it home. We lost **twenty-six** , _Rick processed. _Largest loss of RDF pilots since Dolza's Rain._ He took a deep breath and sighed. _And for what? Minmei and Kyle weren't even there, and we effectively lost two squadrons in the process, plus the shots the 228th took as well._ Rick then went ahead and tried out the medium range array on his communications. _This should have enough juice to reach Wasatch. At least I hope it does._

"Fort Wasatch Command, this is Stargazer Flight, or what's left of it. Please come in."

Static came over, but suddenly broke. "Stargazer Flight, this is Wasatch, go ahead." A wave of relief came over Rick and the others.

"Be advised we have eight Veritechs heading your way. We're pretty short of fuel and there's no way we're making it back to Macross unless we walk."

"Acknowledged, Stargazer. We'll get the runways clear for you. Thanks for the heart failure by the way. We thought you guys bought it."

"We were the lucky ones. Can you also reach out to Macross Command and let them know Stargazer is inbound and will be reporting in shortly? Our long range got smoked by that EMP blast."

"Roger that. You guys are clear for landing on Runways 10 and 12. And Lieutenant Emerson is here as well. We'll let him know you're coming."

"Roger. Stargazer out."

* * *

 _It's just my luck,_ Lisa thought ruefully. _First Mom, then Karl, then Dad, now this._ She was standing at the TacNet doing all she could to not break down. _Not even the news about Karl hurt as bad as this right now. And I never got the chance to say..._

Just then, a ping sounded and the channel opened up. Composing herself quickly, she looked over and saw it was Lieutenant Emerson.

"Command, this is Wasatch."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant.

"Ma'am, I have some good news. We just heard from Commander Hunter. Looks like the EMP shorted their long range comm array but they're in-bound here to fuel up for the return leg. He was pretty insistent on us calling it in."

 _Thank God he got back OK,_ she thought as the weight of everything started to crash down. She nodded to the Lieutenant on the other end.

"However, it's not all good news," Emerson continued.

Finding her voice, Lisa responded quickly. "Go on, Lieutenant."

"There's only eight Veritechs coming in. Also, preliminary reports state that the 228th is at maybe fifteen percent strength after this action."

Gasps came up from the bridge as the toll. _All that and we come back empty handed,_ she thought. _Any foreboding Rick had before this started was right on the mark._

"Lieutenant, have Commander Hunter call in as soon as he touches down. I'm sure the Admiral is going to want to talk to him."

"Yes, ma'am. They should be touching down in a few minutes. Wasatch out."

Lisa looked over at the Admiral, who nodded quickly. She turned to Claudia. "Claudia, you have the TacNet. Let me know when Stargazer Flight has fully landed at Wasatch. I need a minute or two." Claudia nodded and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

As she stepped away, Lisa could feel the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. _I haven't lost him yet. It may be time to let him know after all. At least, if anything happens, I'd know he'd know._

* * *

At his command center, Khyron watched the scanners as it showed the nine red blips moving away from the target area towards the south and west. Azonia, who had been watching the whole event passively, finally decided to speak.

"Aren't you going to pursue them? It's an opportune time to wipe them out!"

Khyron raised a hand. "We let them in, and we'll let them go."

"Are you mad? You of all people pushing aside a chance like this. I think we've spent too much time on this rock. The Micronians are starting to rub off on you."

A hard glare met that statement, one that Azonia found herself regretting almost immediately.

"Hardly, woman," he spat back. "There's a lot more to this plan than meets the eye. This, my dear, was just the beginning." An evil smile came across the Backstabber's face.

* * *

As the sun began to set on what had been an eventful day, a plain white van made its way up the highway heading towards New Macross. Inside of the van, Xamdar and his two companions were setting in motion yet another part of the daring gambit by Khyron. _Today was indeed a good day,_ he thought. _We fooled the Micronians and the RDF got taught a lesson._ The news that they had sent their best pilots on the raid made the results all the sweeter to the three in the car. _Life is about to be a bit more difficult without your best around._

He looked to the back and saw the inert forms of Minmei and Lynn Kyle in the cargo area, both unconscious. A smile came across Xamdar's face as he thought of a line from one of those Micronian training simulations he had tried out once. _Sorry Commander Hunter, but your princess is in another castle._


	14. Circling The Wagons

Review time!

 **Adena McGee** \- *cue sinister music and grin to match, rubbing hands together a la Montgomery Burns* Excellent! I've done my job here lol. Glad you're enjoying this one. Yeah, Khyron's a bit of a buzzkill ain't he? I guess we can add tact to something that our least favorite large purple Zentraedi is lacking. Believe me, the title of the fic plays into things quite a bit and it sure won't be easy for our intrepid little band. Could Operation Star Saver just be the opening salvo? Stay tuned...

 **jag389** \- No worries, dude. I got quite a bit done over the past few days, so I figured folks were going to have to play catch-up. And yes, ticking off either Lisa or Miriya is a great way to shorten one's life span, especially if Rick and Max are involved.

 **theGhostflyer** \- *bows* Thank you, sir! Glad you caught that one. There's a few pop culture references floating about and there will be a few others coming up. As for your thinking (the under-construction SDF-2 (aka the Deuce) is the Command bridge in this one), I think the coming chapters may reinforce that thought. Being the hero is never easy, as Rick is finding out. Expect a few more close calls and scrapes for our intrepid protagonist.

 **sscaldwe** \- Everyone was banking on the warhead being the big surprise, but I thought the EMP was a nastier surprise (as did Khyron). As the one Zent said, hard to avoid the explosion when your mecha's circuits are fried. And of course, this is just the kickoff of the lunacy. Plenty more on tap.

 **WardogRD** \- Thanks and welcome aboard! Well, we'll have to see about Minmei and Kyle. The upcoming chapter may lend some insight into this.

Time for the dust to settle from Operation Star Saver. This one's a bit slower in pace and a bit shorter, but there's things afoot...

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen – Circling The Wagons**

As Skull One came to a stop at one of the hangars at Fort Wasatch, Rick Hunter found himself in a foul mood. _Even New Detroit wasn't this embarrassing,_ he thought. _At least I could use the excuse of four versus a thousand. This time? No excuse, we got suckered and Big Ugly kicked the crap out of us. How the hell do I explain this one?_ He looked skyward for a second before slamming his left fist down on the side of the cockpit in a show of frustration.

Disembarking from the plane as quick as he could, he noticed a figure in green camouflage fatigues making his way towards him, saluting as he walked closer.

"Commander Hunter? Glad to see you are OK after that."

Rick returned the salute. "Thanks Lieutenant. Right now, there's only two things I want to do. Take a leak and talk to Command. The less I think about that mess, the better."

"But what about the hostages?"

"Right now, Emerson, there's a bigger problem at hand, namely the air defenses for Macross and most of this continent just got compromised. If Khyron wants to get froggy, we're a little short to stop him."

He stopped and took a deep breath. _No offense, Minmei, but right now you are the least of my concerns._

"Also, we have no idea where the hell they are. All I know is that they were there when that crazy son of a bitch called Macross, but when we get there? Poof! Not a trace."

Emerson nodded. "We've got some of the Scouting patrols checking around here to see if they turn up. Also, we have our transports checking out around the area where the warehouse was to see if they managed to escape."

Rick nodded. "Good. Hopefully they'll turn up. Any signs of activity from Big Ugly and Pals?"

"Nothing. They got out while the going was good, it seems."

"Either that or they were just there to make our lives miserable while the detrite and EMP cocktail did the dirty work. Have to admit, Khyron's just full of surprises."

Emerson nodded and continued. "The good news is that some of the transports were able to find a few of your guys that punched out during the battle. The beacons getting shorted by that EMP didn't make it any easier. They should be back here shortly."

"At least there's some good news I can report back to Macross," Rick said humorlessly. "How bad did the 228th end up? It sure didn't look pretty from up above."

"Don't ask. They're lucky if they're at ten percent after that." Emerson exhaled and then continued. Rick could only shake his head at the total. _Two air squadrons and a battalion of Destroids all pretty much wiped out. This was a dumpster fire of a mission._

"I'm dreading the call in to Colonel Leonard to explain why one of his elite units pretty much got decimated."

 _Ol' Meatgrinder's going to lose his mind over this,_ Rick thought. _Hell, he won't be demanding a court martial, he'll want me lined up against a friggin' wall, along with anyone tied to this mission._

"Lieutenant, it wasn't your fault. We went with the best intel we had. Nobody had a clue he'd have that many pods sitting back waiting for us, not to mention the toys behind door number one and number two."

"Guess you're right. Still, my first real command and look what happens." Emerson could only sigh in frustration.

 _I know that feeling, Rolf,_ Rick thought. _You sound like me after New Detroit._

"It kinda comes with the territory, Lieutenant."

* * *

A short time later, Rick was up in the communications room at a free post. Punching up a familiar code, he waited for the picture to come up. When it did, he was greeted with someone he wasn't fully expecting.

"About time you called in, Rick."

"Guessing Lisa stepped out for a few, Claudia?"

Claudia nodded. "Let me go get her. She'll be happy to see you, that's for sure."

"That'll make two of us, Big Sis."

A broad smile crossed Claudia's face at that comment. _I think the boy has finally woken up,_ she thought as she made her way to one of the lounges off of the bridge.

Back at Wasatch, Rick sat back and put his hands behind his head as he waited for Lisa to respond. _Days like this put it all in perspective. One minute, you're on top of the world, the next, well, your next of kin is getting a flag and a letter._ He knew that the next few days once he got back to Macross were going to be unpleasant to say the least. _This was one part of the job Roy never got around to telling me about. The sad thing is that I've gotten more than enough practice at it._

A familiar sight on the monitor in front of him pulled him out of his melancholy and back into reality. No words were spoken between the two on the monitor. Lisa's puffy eyes and the streaks on her cheeks told the story of how she had taken things. _Damn, I did put her through the wringer on this one._

But it was her smile that put him at ease. _There's honestly no better reward than that. That smile just has a way of taking the edge off of a pretty crappy time._

On the other side of the monitor and back at Command, Lisa could see that Rick was a bit of a mess after the events of the day. _He looks like hell. After a day like today, I'd probably imagine I look the same._ But like Rick, it was a smile that gave the indication that everything was going to be OK after all. _It's that wry smirk that gets me. Every damn time. Can't ever stay mad at the knucklehead. And he genuinely looks like he's happy to see me._

Lisa was the first to speak. "Rick. Thank God you're OK."

"Thanks, Lisa. Today was just brutal. I never want to go through something like that again."

She nodded. "We'll manage. Somehow we always do. Any word on..."

He shook his head. "Nothing. Wherever they went with them, we don't have a lead or anything. Emerson's got scouts checking things out here. Right now, we're in no condition to join in the search and having us out there longer doesn't help you guys back home. I mean, the hit we took, we're kinda short staffed."

Lisa found herself surprised by the statement. _He was right when he said this was business. The old Rick would have sped off trying to find her as soon as possible._ She took a sip of tea and then continued. "The Admiral does want to see you and Wilcox as soon as you get back in."

Rick felt his stomach drop a bit. _And here comes the repercussions to a FUBAR of epic proportions._ "Why do I have the same feeling I got when I got called to the office at school?"

"I doubt its that bad, Rick. I don't think we could have done anything to change that and the Admiral is well aware of that fact."

"Here's hoping. Anyways, you may want to let Miriya know Max is A-OK as well."

"I don't think I have to," she laughed. "She's at the terminal next to me talking with him now."

"Well, that shows how out of it I am. Never saw him come in. Gotta tell him he can only do that ninja crap to pods." Rick looked over at one of the terminals and saw the familiar sight of Max Sterling, deep in conversation with his wife.

She nodded. "By the way, that move with the shuttle, pure genius. I applauded at the audacity."

"I learned from the best, you know," he said with a wink. It had the desired effect as Lisa's cheeks flushed a bit and a smile came across her face. "Besides, it's not everyday you compliment me on something."

"Makes it all worthwhile. Your birds should be all fueled up by now. Might want to get a move on."

"Yes, ma'am. Guess I should get the kids back in the car before they trash the rest stop."

Lisa stifled a laugh at the comment. _Even when things are bad, he's never short with a joke. One of the many reasons..._

"Bye, Rick." A quick smile followed before the terminal went dead. Rick rose up and made his way out, nodding quickly to Max as he left as an indication it was time to head for home.

* * *

Xamdar was the first to see their destination as the van made its way down the highway. Up ahead, towering in the distance, was the sight of the SDF-1 and Lake Gloval. _Our prize,_ he thought. He had been taking care of the driving duties while his two companions rested. The captives were still out cold in the back of the van, having been given a shot with the stun ray at the highest setting. _Pyoto reassured me they wouldn't be harmed,_ he thought. _That high setting would have been enough to put Grel or Gerao out for a few hours. On a Micronian, well, they probably won't wake up until tomorrow at the earliest._

He noticed the GPS was alerting him that his destination was arriving in about a kilometer. It was a rest stop used mostly by tourists to get pictures of the skyline of New Macross. Easing the van into one of the parking spots and turning the ignition off, Xamdar stepped out of the driver's seat and looked around. _Not a soul here,_ he thought. After making sure he and his cargo were alone, he opened up his communicator. On the screen appeared a very familiar face.

"Xamdar, I see you made it to the rendezvous point."

"Indeed, my Lord. The Micronians have no idea where we are. We can slip into the city undetected."

"Excellent. And the prisoners?"

"Still unconscious."

"Good, we don't want them waking up too early. All is in readiness. Your contacts should be arriving shortly."

"And of the change in plans?"

"True. The male doesn't really serve much of a purpose now. Thinking he was the companion of the Sorceress was a logical guess with that training video they had back on Zor's ship. Plus, they were together all the time. Who know the Sorceress's heart was in the hands of another? I have to thank you for that bit of information, Xamdar. I will use their weak emotions against them."

"Thank you, my Lord. I'm sure Commander Hunter will do everything in his power to bring his beloved back, my Lord. We saw that already earlier. And as for the sot, I think I can be a bit creative," A smile of pure evil came over the face of Xamdar as he completed the statement. _Shouldn't have been that nasty to me, Kyle. As you Micronians say, payback is a bitch._

 _This has worked out much, much better than I ever envisioned,_ Khyron thought. _Not only will we get the flagship back, but we can destroy one of our greatest enemies in the process. You have been a thorn in my side for way too long, Commander. I intend to make you suffer greatly for all those times you nearly killed me. The warehouse gambit was just the first act._

"Proceed as ordered. Take whatever steps you need to get their attention."

"As you command, my Lord."

With that, he closed the communicator and awaited his contacts. Gazing over at the imposing view of the SDF-1, Xamdar could only smile. _Soon, it will be ours. You cannot stop the inevitable, Micronians. The Zentraedi will have their revenge._

* * *

As the remnants of Stargazer Flight made their way back towards the safety of home, Rick was alone with his thoughts. _Well, this was a fine mess you got yourself into, Rick. Sure, on paper it looked like a slam dunk. Fly in, kick some Em Zee ass, rescue the pop-tart and the other guy, fly home. Done deal. Well, too bad we forgot about the wild card in the deck._ He shook his head. _Gotta give Big Ugly some credit on this one. He really managed to completely fool us. I mean, the jammers? The hidden pods? The detrite and EMP trap? Well played._ A sigh followed. _I'm gonna have a hell of a time explaining this one. Damned if you weren't right on this one, Rick ol' boy._

Any further thought was pushed out of his mind when he saw his comm lighting up. Tapping one of the switches, the screen came alive with a picture of Max Sterling.

"Hey, Rick. Rest of the group is holding up fine. So far, it's been quiet."

"Good, the quieter the better. We saw more than enough action earlier."

Another chime came up, meaning that Ben had also joined in on the conversation.

"Rick, that was one of the most screwed up things I've ever been a part of."

"Even more so than Toronto?"

"Pretty close." Ben stated. It was rare that he would bring up that particular encounter with the Zentraedi. During the SDF-1's attempt to offload the residents of Macross to a safer place, the Zentraedi forces had attacked while the craft was over Toronto. The resulting fight devastated the city, forced the SDF-1 off planet under threat of annihilation by UEG forces, and nearly cost Ben his life when the barrier defenses melted down. If not for a bit of luck, he would have been reduced to atoms, not just laid up in the medical wing for a month. "At least I'm not on a medical evac heading for the trauma unit."

"True. Why do you think I have you paired with someone on these things? I let you run off alone, it's like watching a kid run with scissors," Rick added with a smile.

"Like you were never reckless, Boss. I mean, Captain Hayes did tell us the story of your first meeting."

Rick shook his head. _Nothing like calling someone you.._ Rick thought this over carefully, pausing for a second. Shaking it off, he continued reminiscing about that first day. _So_ _meone you call one of your best friends 'Old Sourpuss' during your first conversation. It's a wonder she never kicked my ass for that. Or it could explain some of the snark I've gotten in return over the past few years._ "Not my fault the Veritech decided to fly on in on its own. I was just along for the ride."

"A good craftsman never blames his tools," Max chimed in, grinning.

"Still, never seen Khyron pull out of a fight as fast as he picked one."

"I would think the toys he brought over had a lot to do with it, Ben," Rick answered.

"Yeah, an EMP shot with a detrite chaser. Packs one hell of a punch."

"Rick, Mir wanted to thank you again for letting her assist. As much as she wanted to be out there with us, having her with the Captain and Admiral helped a lot more. I mean, she caught the EMP trick."

"She's as much a part of this as anyone. I fought like hell to get her cleared for this one. And yeah, that was a huge tip-off. We had no idea about that little surprise."

"Of course," Ben added. "There's also the ten thousand dollar question. Where the hell did they take Minmei and Kyle to?"

"Don't think anyone has an idea, Ben," Rick added. "It's the furthest thing from my mind. Right now, my biggest concern is figuring out how we plug the holes in our air defense this dumpster fire of an op tore into us. I'm more worried about Khyron paying us a personal visit over the fate of some pop queen and her 'cousin'."

 _Yep, he's changed alright,_ Max thought. _If it were the old days, he'd have torn off from Wasatch on a one-man mission from God to find her and wouldn't have stopped until he did or he was dead._

 _Damn. If it were about a month ago, he wouldn't have sounded like that,_ Ben thought. _Oh well, I always thought Minmei was a bit annoying anyways. No need to keep the safeties on when talking about her around the Boss.  
_

The chatter among the three squadmates and friends was broken up by a loud buzz and the sight of Captain Lisa Hayes over the TacNet.

"Stargazer Flight. This is Macross Command. Welcome home."

Rick was the first to answer. "Command, this is Stargazer Lead. Home never looked so good," adding a wink for good measure.

Max smirked to himself in the comfort of his fighter, knowing there was a bit more behind the comment from his commanding officer and best friend than was let on.

 _Did Rick just hit on Lisa over the TacNet?_ Max thought. _Well, today sure has been full of surprises._

Ben did a double take at what he just heard and caught on the feed.

 _Holy crap! He just did that,_ Ben thought while trying not to laugh. _You lose, pop-tart._

"Enough with the flattery, Commander," came the response with a smile. "Stargazer Flight, you are cleared to land. Runways 11 and 14 are at your disposal."

"Roger that. Stargazer Flight signing off."

Thinking back to his comment, Rick could only smile as he descended towards the tarmac and the relative safety of home.

* * *

"It took you long enough," came the response of an exasperated Xamdar. "They could have woken up."

"I'm sorry, sir. The damned Micronians thought that rebuilding this transport passage at night was a wonderful idea," another Zentraedi, going by the name of Midao.

"No matter. Is everything set?"

"Yes. The safe house is not far from here. And there's ample room for our new guests."

"Good. We'll wait for the next signal from His Lordship before proceeding forward."

"What of the male? Lord Khyron informed me that he is not all that necessary for the operations going forward."

"Well, if we follow through with what he wants to do, we will need a good example," Xamdar said with a sinister grin. He then turned to his counterparts. "Chondo! Thoda! Assist Midao in loading our guests into their new ride!"

The two opened the back of the van and loaded the still-unconscious Minmei and Kyle into the back seat of the sedan parked nearby. Once loaded, Midao entered the car and prepared to leave. Xamdar walked over to the driver's side window, then proceeded to lean in to talk. After about a minute, Xamdar walked away and towards his companions.

"Leave the van here. We'll be taking this transport," Xamdar pointed to a brown car over a bit. As the Chondo and Thoda turned to walk to the new car, they never saw what was coming next.

Two shots rang out in the darkness.

 _Unfortunate that we had to do this, my friends,_ Xamdar thought. _But, it will make this a bit more convincing._ He took out a personal USB drive and tucked it in the pocket of the now-dead Thoda's jacket.

Xamdar got into the sedan as it sped off towards the lights of New Macross. _And the games begin,_ he thought to himself with a chilling grin on his face.


	15. Welcome Home

Some light housekeeping to take care of before getting back to the story...

 **jag389** \- Well, it's certainly not looking good for Kyle right now. He just entered full on expendable territory...not that too many folks are shedding tears over that. Remains to be seen if he makes it to the end of the story or not. Thanks for the kind words and glad to see folks enjoying this humble little tale.

 **aikiweezie** \- Thanks and welcome aboard! There's a bit of an update on the rate of updates coming.

 **Adena McGee** \- Just because the gang's back in New Macross doesn't mean that the troubles aren't going to follow just because they're back home. And trust me, Khyron, Xamdar (who's on a par with his fearless leader), Azonia, and the rest of the Malcontents have some tricks up their sleeve that'll be unleashed. As for Rick finally having this epiphany, I figured it would come in stages...and Ben and Max would be among the first to pick up on this, along with Claudia. The flirty line was just an added bonus I came up with on the fly. Figured the pessimist in Lisa could write it off to stress due to the mission going off the rails, but gives her enough hope that she's got a better than average chance with our favorite Veritech jock.

 **theGhostflyer** \- It's a fair guess, but something I can neither confirm nor deny as of yet (although I think this update will give some good insight to this). Thanks! I figured, as I explained above, it's enough to encourage Lisa, but also kinda have her on guard as well so she doesn't get hurt. The plan in place is, well...I'll let the future chapters frame it out here. Also, there is a definite Tom Clancy vibe here...as to which of his novels, I have yet to say. Let's just say things are going to get really bonkers coming up...

 **Just a friendly note from the author** \- I can confirm that I have a clear path as to how things are going to unfold going all to the way to the end. What I have in store should definitely be worth any waits that may happen while I write them up. As for how many chapters this will cover, I have to determine this, but rest assured, we're not near the end yet.

Also, there will be at least **3** cut scenes I will be working on once the main story is done. I can confirm that one of the cut scenes will be the briefing with one Colonel Leonard that was hinted at in Chapters 1 and 2. There are also 2 other cut scenes that this next chapter will be spawning. Also, there may be one other. But yeah, there's a wealth of stuff that this one story idea has blossomed into.

OK, enough prattling on...back to the story. This one's a bit of a Debbie Downer of a chapter, but there's one or two important tidbits that come out. And if you can pick up on a reference I made to one of my favorite TV shows in this chapter, take a bow :)

 ** _(A/N from 2/25/17- noticed I made a boo-boo regarding a character's name. I've adjusted accordingly)_**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen – Welcome Home**

Down in the hangar area of Fokker Base, the activity was ratcheted up a bit as the remaining airborne members of the squad that had headed out to the New Boise area for their part in Operation Star Saver had returned without much fanfare. With the mission's outcome being less than desirable, some had decided going back to their homes and families was the best course of action. Others decided that sleep was something that was not going to come too quickly.

For Commander Rick Hunter and Lieutenant Commander Tom Wilcox, going home was not an option as of yet. The two officers made their way to a conference room near the Command bridge for the sprawling complex. When they entered, they saw Admiral Henry Gloval waiting for them.

On a video screen in the room was the image of Lieutenant Rolf Emerson. In the background was another person. A tall, gaunt man with brown hair and an eye patch over his left eye.

Rick walked over to Wilcox and asked quietly. "OK, what's up with Blinky over there?"

Wilcox found himself stifling a laugh. "Oh, you mean TR? Major Edwards is representing the Intel wing and probably pissed off one of his bosses to the point that he gets to explain to us as to how they screwed this up royally."

"Not a friend, I'm guessing."

"I go back some ways with TR. He'll seem like your buddy as long as he can get something out of it that can advance his own career. Word of caution, if he pats you on the back, check for knives after."

"Wonderful. Just my kind of guy," Rick stated with a generous helping of sarcasm.

It was just then that the Admiral motioned to everyone to take their seats. Once everyone was seated, he rose and began.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we all know why we are here. Operation Star Saver was, to borrow a turn of phrase from Commander Hunter, a 'dumpster fire' of an operation."

 _Wonder if **that** will turn up on the official report, _ Rick thought. _It'd be funny as hell to see that in there if my name weren't attached to it._

The Admiral continued on. "However, it is, in my judgment and the judgment of the RDF Intelligence Wing that it was a situation that was untenable from the start. No amount of planning with the intelligence assets we had would have prepared us for the little tricks Khyron managed to come up with on this raid."

Gloval turned to Rick. "Commander Hunter, you're not in any sort of trouble here. You went with the best intel we had on it. Unfortunately, Khyron pulled, how would you say, a fast one on us."

Rick nodded. _At least the Admiral has my back. I have that going for me._

Gloval acknowledged the nod and continued. "Right now, the focus is more of the here and now. No use rehashing what has happened. It will not change things and will not bring our people back."

He turned to the video board. "Lieutenant Emerson, what is the current situation at the site?"

"Admiral, as previously reported, we were able to recover three of the Veritech pilots that managed to punch out during the mission. However, after assessment at our medical wing, only one will be able to fully return. One of the survivors ended up losing an arm due to injuries suffered and one other is quite possibly paralyzed from the waist down after breaking his back."

Both Rick and Wilcox winced. _Glad we got some guys out of there, but only one out of three coming back? Not good,_ Rick thought.

"At this point, the rescue portion of the SAR operation is over," Emerson continued. "At this point, we've made the shift over to recovery, and it's been pretty ugly to say the least. The first flight back to Macross is scheduled to leave here at 0600 local time."

Gloval shook his head. "Any leads on the captives?"

"We had two battalions coming a one-hundred kilometer radius around the operation site and also employed the help of the New Boise authorities. So far, we have no leads as to where they may have ended up."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Gloval then turned to Edwards, "Intel, any leads as of yet on your side?"

Edwards rose. "Thank you, Admiral. I can report though that we were able to stumble upon a possible lead. It appears that in reviewing the video from the Cats Eye and the drone, one of our analysts did catch something." He tapped a button and one of the other screens in the room came alive with an image that showed the warehouse before the ensuing battle and warhead detonation rendered it into rubble. Over by one of the entrances was a white van.

"We noticed this white van parked by one of the loading docks shortly before the hostilities began. Now, as we roll the video, watch."

Edwards clicked another button. The video began to run, showing two figures approaching and entering. Seconds later, a third entered, followed by the van driving off.

Rick watched the video intently and noticed something about the exact location. "Major, just a quick question. Was that loading dock in the line of sight of the ground forces?"

Edwards nodded, "I would say it was."

On the other video screen, Emerson felt the color drain out of his face, realizing that his first command could very well be his last one. "It's possible that Stockton may have thought it was some Zents bailing. However, Major Stockton can't shine any further insight into this as he was KIA."

"We would be safe in going with the assumption that the Malcontents got the hostages out of there and moved them somewhere else."

"So, basically they could be anywhere on the continent, Major?" Wilcox added.

Edwards smiled. "Well, we do have one lead. The drone was able to pull the license plate of that van." He clicked another button and an image came up of the license plate.

"Well, would ya look at that," Wilcox commented. "Macross Quadrant plates. Looks like they could be locals."

"Exactly what we were thinking. We've already reached out to the Macross Metro Police to keep an eye out for the van and reach out to us if they do find it. They were also told that it would be handled by the RDF if it came to it."

The Admiral nodded to Edwards. "Thank you, Major. Keep me informed." Edwards gave a quick salute and left the conference room. Gloval then turned to the monitor. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Do not beat yourself up about this mission. It was not your fault."

Emerson nodded and saluted as the video screen went to black. Gloval then turned to the assembled pilots.

"Well, our air assets are severely compromised. The question is, how do we compensate, Commander?"

Rick thought for a second, then looked over at Wilcox, who gave a nod. "Sir, for the time being, Skull and Rapier will have to combine to help cover the gap. Even then, we're down a full squadron and when the new recruits come in, it will take a little time to get them up to speed."

"I seem to remember you just hopping aboard a Veritech during our first contact with the Zentraedi, Commander. You caught on pretty quick. I think the new recruits coming in from Monument should be able to do the same."

Wilcox blinked for a second. "Wait, that was you?"

Rick nodded, feeling his cheeks flush red out of embarrassment. "So noted, sir. However, it's going to be a rough month or two. We'll need to be on our toes in case Khyron decides to cash in on his threat to take the SDF-1."

"Agreed. For the next few days, unless Khyron himself is attacking, Skull and Rapier are on stand-by status. It's not a punishment, but I also understand you have some other business that will need attending to."

Both Rick and Wilcox nodded. The next few days were not going to be overly pleasant.

* * *

As one day bled into another, the wing of offices taken up by Skull Squadron was a bit busier than expected at that particular time. Most often, the offices were empty and dark. It was not the case this evening.

Knowing that the cause for the activity was probably coming from the commander of the squadron, Captain Lisa Hayes made her way down the corridor that led towards his office. _Light's definitely on,_ she noticed as she grew closer. _Guess he's not planning on going home any time soon._ It was then she noticed a figure outside of the office,sitting on a chair and trying not to fall asleep. Approaching, Lisa took note that the figure was a woman. Specifically a smaller brunette wearing a flight suit.

"Sergeant Niebauer, isn't it?"

Amelia looked up and saw the Captain standing right there. She nearly fell out of the chair as she shot up and saluted. "Sorry ma'am! Didn't think anyone was still here."

"At ease, Nibbler," Lisa responded, using her call-sign. "Your boss in there?"

"Yes, ma'am. He's talking with Lieutenant Dixon at the moment. I'm kind of his ride home tonight, seeing the Sterlings already left. I think they were heading to the Grant's place to get Dana."

Lisa nodded, noting that it did make sense for Max and Miriya to have Vince and Jean Grant look out for Dana while they were involved in Star Saver. _From what Claudia told me, their little guy Bowie enjoys having a playmate._ Breaking this train of thought, Lisa continued on. "You did well out there today, Sergeant. I heard about the 'boomstick' maneuver while covering the shuttle."

Amelia smiled. "Thank you, ma'am. Kinda came up with that one on the fly."

"And, good work keeping an eye on Lieutenant Dixon."

"That's what the boss told me. It's kinda my job," Amelia added with a smile.

Lisa picked up on the smile from the younger woman. _I_ _'ll have to ask Rick about this one. Seems The Trio may have been on the mark about this rumor._ It was just then the door opened up and Ben Dixon came walking out, smiling. Noticing the Captain standing right there, he gave a quick salute which was returned in kind.

"Ben, glad to see you got through another mission in one piece."

"Thanks, ma'am. Didn't really have any trouble."

Amelia tried not to laugh at this statement. "Ahem, how many times did I bail you out again?" She held up two fingers, causing Lisa to stifle a laugh.

"I was not in trouble. I was lulling them into a false sense of security so I could catch them unaware."

Amelia's eye-roll told the story. Quickly shifting gears, Lisa turned to Ben. "Mind if I check up on your boss?"

"Don't think he'd mind one bit, Captain."

"Thanks, and get home safe you two," Lisa said with a salute. The two pilots saluted back and started to make their way down the hall.

"Oh, and Ben," Lisa added. "I guess I just added to the tally," which she punctuated by holding up her index finger and smiling. Ben could only shake his head while Amelia started to laugh as they made their way out.

* * *

Inside of the office, Lisa could see Rick sitting at his desk, chair facing towards the wall and tipped back a bit. _Probably thinking something through,_ she thought. _It's been quite a day to say the least and knowing him, he's probably dwelling on some decisions that were out of his control. The good news is at least he got back in one piece._ In the background, she could hear something playing on the radio. _Somewhat fitting song,_ she added to herself silently. _We are getting a little closer._

After giving it a few more seconds, Lisa decided to break the silence.

"Mind if I come in, Rick?"

Rick spun the chair around and smiled. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"You tell me. What's up with those two?"

Rick shrugged. "You might want to tell Vanessa I owe her a round at the Officer's Club."

Lisa smiled. _And the Trio was right yet again. How they get this information is beyond me. "_ Anyways," she continued. "I was wondering why you were still here."

"Well, the letters home kind of won't write themselves. Seeing I'm pretty doubtful to sleep anytime soon, I figured I'd get a head start."

She noticed that his laptop had a USB drive connected to it. He had mentioned before that in the locked drawer of his desk, there was a thumb drive with all the next-of-kin letters for the members of Skull Squadron that would go out if the worst managed to happen. Out of pure curiosity, the next question was raised.

"Yours on there?"

Rick shook his head. "No, its on a separate one and only two people have copies; Max and the Admiral. It's the same one Roy wrote up when I came aboard to the RDF. The only update I've ever requested was for my next of kin. And that was done right after we got kicked off by the UEG for the whole Toronto thing and..." Rick's voice trailed off as he fought back an unpleasant memory.

Lisa caught this fully. _And right after I left to go back to Alaska Base. Could it be that..?_ She shook off the thought. _I'll probably find out at some point._

"Ya know," Rick continued. "Of all the things about leading a squadron, this was the one thing Roy never prepared me for." He looked up at the ceiling briefly before sitting back in his chair.

"Losing people is part of the job, unfortunately. Especially in this line of work. It never will get any easier as the responsibilities grow."

"The day it does is the day I start questioning my humanity," Rick responded with a sigh. "The worst part are the house calls. That's when it hits me."

"When's the first house call scheduled for? I'm guessing not too long after the first bird gets back."

Rick nodded. "You'd be right on that. I already briefed everyone before they took off for the night. It'll be myself, Max, Miriya, Ben, and Nibbler handling our guys. Wilcox, Sluggo, Hobbes, and Plucky are handling things for Rapier. We've already got a table booked at the SetUp for after. And Lord knows we're gonna need a few after this."

"Text me when you get there. I remember the last time you had a round of house calls." Lisa thought back to a mission that had gone wrong a few months prior where three of his pilots were killed. Max had the presence of mind to get in touch with her so his commanding officer wouldn't drink himself blind after informing the families personally.

Rick nodded. "Hopefully none of the ones we lost had any kids that are old enough to know what me showing up in full dress uniform means." _That's what did it the last time. Bad enough to explain to someone's husband or wife or folks that their loved one is not walking through that door any time soon. But explaining it to a seven or eight year old kid? No, there's no good way to go about it and no way that kind of scenario doesn't lead to killing a bottle of tequila later on to take the edge off._

Lisa looked over at Rick and felt a tear starting to well up. _I'd give anything to just make this hurt go away, Rick. You of all people didn't deserve this._

Rick did his best to stifle a yawn, but it was to no avail. Lisa gave him a look he knew all too well, but instead of over the TacNet, this was up close and personal.

"Guessing that's your way of telling me to power this thing down and call it a night?"

She nodded. "You're learning. Get home, Rick. You've got a busy day ahead."

He looked at her glumly. "One I'm not looking forward to."

* * *

The next day dawned bright over the skyline of New Macross. The sun glinting off of the large form of the SDF-1 set the backdrop seen on MBS as they set up for coverage of the ceremony at Macross Command. In the distance, a large RDF Star Fury class cargo plane made its approach to one of the runways. The flight was inbound from Fort Wasatch and carried the remains of a good majority of the twenty three pilots lost. The large cargo craft touched down safely and then taxied towards a part of the strip designated for the occasion.

On the tarmac, an honor guard stood by along with a number of dignitaries from the RDF's high command. Among them was Rick, serving in his capacity as the CAG of Fokker Base and Macross Command. _This never gets any easier,_ he thought. It was then that the cargo plane, having rolled to a stop, started to open up from behind. A small honor guard of four RDF pilots in full dress uniform carried a casket draped with an RDF flag down the gantry and towards a hearse parked nearby. As the fallen pilot passed by, all the dignitaries gave a salute to a fallen comrade. The scene repeated itself a dozen more times. Rick watched each go past with a profound sense of sadness and also a burning fire of vengeance building up. _Your sacrifice won't be in vain, guys. I swear on all that is holy that Khyron will answer for this._

Watching from off the side, Lisa watched on, keeping an eye on Rick during the entire process. _He's doing a hell of a job holding it together,_ she thought. _Inside, he's got to be a mess. And then making the personal calls after this._ She felt her heart aching as each of the fallen passed by and could feel tears welling in her eyes. _It's tough to watch this, but these were, for the most part, Rick's boys. It's got to be hitting him doubly hard._ She made a mental note to definitely to go over to the SetUp later on, text or no text. _I need to be there for him._

* * *

It had not taken long for a squad car from the Macross Metro Police to make its way up Highway Three towards the popular scenic overlook. Less than ten minutes ago, someone had called in a tip about an abandoned van. The cruiser pulled in next to the van and peered over.

"Looks like they're asleep, Lenny. May wanna give the window a tap to wake these idiots up."

"On it, Mike."

A quick tap on the window of the driver's side window was not responded to. The officer that had stepped out took a look inside. The sight of two apparently Micronized Zentraedi inside of the cabin with a single gunshot wound to the head on both greeted the officer.

 _Sweet Jesus!_ , the beat officer thought to himself. He grabbed his radio and broadcast quickly. "Dispatch, this is Oscar Three Eight. Send a ME truck and CSI over to Echo Outlook on Highway Three immediately! We have a van and there's two DOA's in the car."

"Acknowledged Oscar Three Eight. What are the plates on that van?"

The officer recited the places back. On the other end, the dispatch operator showed the plate number to one of the RDF MP's sitting nearby. The MP gave a thumbs up to the operator and then nodded towards the back of the room.

The reply came back quickly. "Oscar Three Eight, this is Dispatch. Be advised that RDF MP forces are inbound to your location at this time."

"Why's the Army in on this one?"

"Orders from the top. They'll be taking over once they arrive."

"Understood."

The officer walked back to the car and looked at his partner. "Well, we just sit and wait for the RDF to show up. Guess those two decided to get on someone's bad side something fierce."

Within a matter of minutes, the rest stop was flooded with military vehicles of all types. The MMP cruiser, deciding that hanging around to see what was going on was not exactly something that would be advisable, headed toward another area on the highway.

* * *

Back at Macross Command, Admiral Gloval stepped up to the podium, flanked by Rick and Wilcox on either side. He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and placed it in front of him and began to speak to the assembled group.

"Soldiers of the RDF, friends, and family. It is under the gravest of circumstances we come together this day as we pay respect to those that gave their lives to protect the lives of others. It is a term I have used far too many times over the past few years. The loss of any young man or woman in service to the greater good is to be honored in a way that would fitting to the merit of their service. These fallen heroes, these valiant warriors. They deserve our respect this day and a final farewell and thank you for making this ultimate sacrifice."

He cleared his throat and continued.

"The search for the missing Miss Minmei and Mister Kyle continues on. The RDF air wing will be re-positioning in regards to this search and act as an advisory role at this time. The safety of our missing people is of great concern to us, but it must be tempered with any greater threat arising. There are some that would view what happened yesterday as a golden opportunity to strike at us and complete the job that was started just two years ago."

"To our adversaries, I say in the words of my people, _Ne boysya sobaki, shto layet, a bosya toy, shto molchit, da khvostom vilyayet._ Just because we may be quiet now does not mean we are to be taken lightly in the future. We will not back down under any circumstances and if you wish to go ahead and try this out, I can assure you that it would be an unwise course of action. Our comrades that just returned home would not expect any less of us and we intend to fulfill our end of the bargain."

"I close with this statement. It may be dark now, but it is always darkest before the dawn breaks. Thank you."

* * *

None of this mattered to Xamdar and Midao as they watched the ceremony on TV. _Such sentimentality,_ Xamdar thought with a hint of disgust. _How we lost to these weaklings is well beyond my understanding. Still, we now have a chance of reversing this course._ He looked over at Midao and nodded. Picking up the communicator, he punched in a well-rehearsed code. After a quick ping, a familiar voice came over the speaker.

"Go ahead Xamdar."

"My lord, everything is in readiness. Shall we go ahead and proceed?"

"Indeed. Execute Operation Skull Crusher."

"With pleasure." He closed the communicator and turned to his comrade. "Midao, how much longer until our guests awaken?"

"At last check, they should be waking up in about three standard hours."

"Good. Help me get them to the car. I believe I am about to, in the words of the Micronians, win an award for what is about to happen."


	16. Freedom Of Action

Reviews...

 **Adena McGee** \- Yeah, this is something that kinda got glossed over in the series outside of the episode where it opened with Rick writing the letter home to Ben's next of kin. Felt it added something to the overall story and glad to see I was right.

 **sscaldwe** \- Thank you! As I said, it's something that kinda got overlooked in the original series outside of Roy and Ben's deaths. There's always a cost involved in this and you have think it's not the easiest of things to deal with. As for Khyron, he's got plenty in store coming up.

 **theGhostflyer** \- Nope, not dead yet. Dunno if I'm gonna kill him off or just let him suffer a la Prince Humperdink in _The Princess Bride_. Still to be determined on that. Thanks, there'll be more of that as well going forward too. I couldn't imagine that being easy on him or anyone. That's what led to Rick's line about if he got used to it, he'd forfeit his humanity in the process.

* * *

Well, I can definitely confirm the next two cut scenes were spawned from the last chapter. One will be relating with why Amelia and Ben were at Rick's office so late after they all got back from Star Saver. The other deals with the Skulls saying a personal goodbye to the fallen. These will be coming up at some point, probably when the bulk of DBTD is completed.

Back to the action...schemes aplenty this time around.

 _ **(A/N from 2/25/17 - made a whoopsie on a character's name. Adjusted accordingly)**_

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen – Freedom Of Action**

Inside of Rick's off-base housing, it was a scene of utter disaster. The entire kitchen and living room were awash in empty beer and liquor bottles. Inside his bedroom, he lay sprawled across the bed, sleeping off the effects of the night before. It was then at that moment that the alarm next to his bed started to go off, softly at first, then at a much higher intensity. Groggily, he rolled towards it and noted the time. _1030\. Guess I should maybe think about getting up._

Stretching quickly, he made his way towards the bathroom and a much needed shower. _Haven't drank that much in a while,_ he thought. He then checked by the bed and saw a wastepaper basket was close by. _Don't remember putting that there. Guess someone was looking out for me. I vaguely remember someone was here last night for a bit after everyone cleared out._

A quick shower managed to take the initial edge off of the toll the activities of the night before had taken. _Definitely going to have a pretty decent hangover after last night,_ he thought. Checking the living room, he noticed a pillow and some blankets that were bunched up on the couch. _Someone definitely crashed here._ He then noticed a note on one of the end tables next to the couch. Rick opened it up and read.

" _Rick, I decided to stay to make sure you were OK after last night. Had to be on the bridge by 0900 this morning. You may want to turn on the news after you read this. There's been some developments. We'll talk when you get on base later. - Lisa."_

Pulling out a bottle of water from the fridge and two aspirin tablets, Rick turned on the TV and flipped over to MBS News24. He took a swig of the water just as the station came back from commercial to a voice over.

"In case you've missed it, the big story this morning is the breaking news that both Minmei and Lynn Kyle have been found safe and are at the Macross Superion Hotel at this very moment. Preliminary reports state that it was their valet and driver that was able to secure their escape from the clutches of renegade Zentraedi fighters under the command of Khyron. There is a press conference scheduled for 11 AM this morning and we'll be bringing it to you live."

Rick spat out his water in a classic spit-take at hearing the news. Wasting no time, he finished getting dressed and grabbed his cellphone. Dialing a familiar number, he saw the view on the TV change from the studio to a remote set at the hotel. It was just then his contact picked up.

"Hi Rick, I guess you got my note."

"Lisa, what the hell happened? As far as we knew yesterday, they weren't anywhere near here, now they suddenly show up in downtown Macross?"

"Evidently, they were recovered early this morning. That's all I and any of us know. The press conference should hopefully shed some light on the situation."

"I'm on my way in. I have a feeling I may want to watch this on base."

"I was going to suggest that. Sounds like there's going to be viewing parties everywhere. Guessing there'll be one in the Skull wing?"

"Probably. You're welcome to join us down there, ya know."

She smiled. "Don't see a problem with that. I'll even bring the popcorn. I would have suggested beer, but after last night, I doubt that's the last thing you'd want to see."

Rick could feel his stomach churn thinking about the suggestion. "Agreed," he said with a slight chuckle. "Speaking of last night, thank you for keeping an eye on me."

"You know that's not a problem, Rick. It's the least I could do. Besides, you were a mess."

"I have vague memories about what happened. All I know is that I wanted to erase yesterday from my mind and pretty much succeeded. That being said, I'm paying the price today," acknowledging the heavy pounding in his head. "Anyways, heading on over."

Rick keyed the off button on the call, ending it. With that, he shut off the TV and grabbed his keys. _Just another day in paradise,_ he thought. _Why do I see today being about as surreal as the last few days have been?_

* * *

About twenty minutes later, the common area of the Skull Squadron offices were a buzz of activity as a number of the pilots were assembled to watch the upcoming press conference with a bit of extra scrutiny. As they were one of the two squadrons that had been scrambled for Operation Star Saver, the news that both Minmei and Kyle were supposedly safe had been a point of interest, especially in light of the price they had paid.

Rick had just arrived a few minutes before, with some of the assembled members of the squad surprised to see him upright after the events of the evening before. Nodding and saluting as he made his way to the back of the room, he found a seat nearby Max and Ben.

"Kinda shocked to see you here at this hour, Rick," Max stated to his commanding officer.

"Well, turning on the news and seeing this pop up would chase away a hangover pretty quick."

"With as much as you put down, I'm surprised you're even still alive, Boss," Ben added.

"Don't remind me. My liver, stomach, and head are already doing a good job of that."

Ben and Max both stifled a laugh at their friend's plight. Rick smiled and turned to the two pilots. "How are Mir and Nibs holding up?"

"Miriya's with Dana at the moment," Max replied. "She took the whole 'keep your loved ones close' part of the speech from last night to heart. I was surprised she even let me out of the house after that."

"Amelia's not in until later," Ben added. "Last I heard from her, she was complaining her feet hurt from walking in heels all day."

"It's something I deal with daily, but you don't hear me whine about it," a familiar voice answered back. The three saw that Lisa had made her way down to the room. Salutes and smiles greeted the Captain as she joined the three.

"So, might as well ask the question everyone's dying to know. Any idea as to how this happened?" Max asked.

Lisa shook her head. "I have the same info you guys have, which is less than zero."

Rick thought for a second. "You mean Intel didn't give the Admiral a head's up?"

"Nothing, Rick. At least from what I heard while on the bridge."

Rick thought back to something Wilcox had said the day before. _Well, Tom. You were right about Edwards. He's not being very helpful as he sees it as a ticket to something bigger. Being the guy that brings back the Voice Of Freedom from the clutches of the Zents? Yeah, that'd rank as huge._

Rick shook his head. "Somehow, I'm not that surprised. You do know who Intel had tabbed for this, right?"

Lisa looked over at Rick. "No, I don't." She thought for a second, then bristled. _I should have known! Of all the people, it would have to be_ _ **him**_ _!_

"Lemme guess, Lisa," Rick added. "You've had some less than desirable contact with Major Edwards too?"

"He was one of Dad's aides at Alaska Base. He's an over-ambitious little backstabbing bastard. It's also probably as why I've been kept out of the loop. He and I don't play very nice, especially after I warned my Dad about his antics." She thought back to the exact event. _Someone had been acting as a leak about critical information to some of the less scrupulous members of the Council and Senate. Dad had pinned it down to Edwards, but Dolza's fleet arrived before he could act._

Ben looked over to the TV on the wall and saw the image had changed over from the main studio shot to one of the ballroom at the hotel. "Looks like it's just about show time."

The four turned their attention towards the TV, trying to gain some insight as to what had exactly happened in the last twenty-four hours.

* * *

Inside of the hotel, Major Edwards smiled as he walked from the room where he had been sitting with the recently recovered hostages. _If I can pull this off, it'll be a major coup. Maybe even lead to some consideration to lead the new SDF-2 once it launches._ He thought back to something that had happened two years before. _Sorry, Admiral Hayes, but if I have anything to do about it, that little bitch of a daughter of yours will be desk-bound for the rest of her time in the RDF. You should have never crossed me, Donnie boy. But, seeing you're dead and I'm not, the only payback I can give out is to abort your offspring's career._

 _And there's no bigger feather I can put in my cap with Monument than being the guy that brought Minmei back._ Another mischievous grin crossed his face as he thought on. _Probably means Hunter will get turfed as well. Too bad. Seems like a decent enough guy But seeing he was one of the ones that was involved in the planning and he's tight with Hayes's brat? Well, it's sounding like a case of some poor life choices, Commander. Someone's going to have to take the fall for that debacle, so why not him? Rules him out too. And Gloval? Probably heading for retirement shortly after the Deuce launches if what I heard at Command was true._

As he walked out to the podium, one last thought crossed his mind. _The road is about to clear. Time to be the guy, TR._

* * *

As the scene unfolded on TV, the assembly watching at the Skull Squadron offices and across Command were shocked when instead of some press lackey, they witnessed the vision of Major Edwards walking out to greet the press.

"Good morning. I am Major TR Edwards of the RDF's Intelligence branch. I can report that around 11:30 PM last evening, Miss Lynn Minmei and Mister Lynn Kyle were found safely in the care of their valet. The valet reported that he had been able to broker a deal to recover the two from the Malcontents that had been holding them on behalf of Khyron. As to the details of the deal, I was not privy to the exact information, but I do believe a significant amount of financial consideration was exchanged for the return of the two. Currently, they are resting comfortably and will be making statements to the RDF shortly as to what, if any, insights they can give to the investigation as to who assisted Khyron in this dastardly act. I will not be taking questions at this time, but as soon as we have talked to Miss Minmei and Mister Kyle, we will be providing a press release. Thank you."

* * *

Over at the Skull Squadron common room, silence enveloped the entirety as everyone processed what they had just heard.

"Anyone else shocked this little bastard's trying to take full credit?" Ben cracked.

"Part of me says let him," Rick responded. "But most of me says something really doesn't add up."

Lisa nodded. "I agree. It also means they'll be taking their depositions here." Just then, she felt her phone vibrating. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled it out and answered quickly. "Hello Sir. Yes, by all means. Bring Commander Hunter as well?" She turned towards Rick after saying that. Rick didn't hesitate as he got to his feet almost immediately, nodding affirmatively. "Yes, sir. We should be there in about five minutes. Thank you."

Lisa turned to Rick. "Admiral Gloval wants to see us in his office immediately."

"Kind of got that hint. Lead the way." Rick turned toward Max and nodded. Max nodded back. With that, command of Skull Squadron transferred, albeit temporarily and silently, from Rick to Max.

As they made their way out the door and towards the executive office wing of the base, Rick and Lisa were both thinking over what they heard regarding what would be one of the odder press conferences they had ever witnessed.

* * *

Down in the lower levels of the parking garage for the Superion Hotel, Xamdar stood outside of the car, scowling a bit at the turn of events. _This Major Edwards may present a problem as he may complicate things._ It was then that the familiar buzz of his communicator started going off. Flipping it open, he saw the vision of a very unhappy Khyron on the other end.

"Care to explain what **that** was all about? I thought the communique was supposed to be from our former captives, not that Micronian buffoon."

"I understand, my Lord. But, I have been thinking this over and it may potentially help us towards our goal."

"Explain. And make it good before I decide to end this folly and turn New Macross into a crater."

"Our intelligence assets here in New Macross tell me that this Major Edwards is an ambitious fool. So much so, that he may be trying for a grab at power and become the leader of the RDF."

Khyron appeared to be processing this line of thought. "Go on."

"He may trying to pit himself against Admiral Gloval and Commander Hunter. If this useful idiot can distract them, it may allow us some leeway."

"Do not commit to anything yet involving this fool. Knowing Gloval and Hunter, they will probably catch on to his game and outsmart him. From watching that communique, it may not be that difficult for them to do so. I would not pin one's hopes to this going much further with him. However, if he is able to distract them, it would be of benefit."

"I understand, my Lord."

"As for our former guests?"

"They're being taken to the main RDF base shortly. I was instructed I was not to be going as they wanted to talk to the two alone. I was already talked to here at the hotel. They completely thought my story was truthful."

"Well, there is some hope here. They're just as gullible as I imagined. You are sure you were not compromised?"

"Absolutely, my Lord. We will be going ahead with the next part within the next standard day."

"Good. Hopefully our former guests can add to the chaos along with this Major Edwards. Report back when you are ready to proceed."

"Yes, my Lord." With that, the communication ended. Xamdar leaned against the car and took out his cellphone. Dialing a number, he connected quickly.

"The operation goes forward. Make sure everyone is gathered at the residence tonight. There are some things we will need to go over, especially after events today."

He tapped a button the screen to disconnect and smiled. _This may work out better than imagined,_ he thought.

* * *

Rick and Lisa arrived at Admiral Gloval's office and were ushered in quickly. Walking in, they saw the Admiral at his desk, puffing on his pipe. A quick salute by both was matched by a nod and salute from the Admiral.

"Captain, Commander. Take a seat, please."

Both Rick and Lisa sat down in front of the desk. Looking at their overall commander, they could tell that Gloval was not exactly pleased with the course of events that had just transpired. Lisa also noticed a large manila folder sitting on his desk.

"Well,that was a very interesting briefing from Major Edwards, was it not?"

Both officers nodded. The Admiral took another puff from the pipe and exhaled. The cloud of sweet smoke drifted upwards. He picked up the folder from the desk and rose.

"This little package arrived on my desk from one of the analysts from Intel this morning. It seems that Major Edwards left a few details out of his account. Such as that the MMP found the van just outside of the city and the drivers very much dead."

The Admiral pulled out a photo from the folder. It was of the two micronized Zentraedi that were found in the van. Rick shook his head while Lisa cringed a bit.

"Now, why would the good Major neglect to tell his commanding officer that this happened and go on a bit of a tangent with his story of how they were found?"

Lisa found her voice. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted, Captain."

"As you know, Major Edwards was an attache for my father on Alaska Base. There was good evidence he was the one feeding Russo and a few of the others on the Council information that they used to their own benefit. My father was about to put a stop to his antics when Dolza's fleet arrived. And we know what happened after that."

The Admiral nodded. "It was something Admiral Hayes had said to me right before we went back to the SDF-1. Lisa, your father knew you didn't trust him and he said he would have never known about his actions if not for you."

Lisa nodded and sighed. _Would have been nice if he had told me personally instead of having to find out through the grapevine when I was stationed there._

Rick chimed in. "He definitely would have known the MMP got to the van because weren't they supposed to contact us as soon as they found it? At least that's what I gathered from the briefing yesterday."

The Admiral nodded. "Indeed. But he never contacted me. Instead he goes off and tries to paint himself as the hero."

Rick laughed. "Funny, that was the same thing that the Captain and Lieutenant Commander Wilcox thought I would have done before the mission started. They were worried I would have been trying to grab at the glory at the expense of everyone else." He then looked over at Lisa. "Sorry for bringing that up."

Lisa shook her head. "It's OK, Rick. I did have those doubts originally, but you've proven they were baseless by your actions after that was suggested."

Rick continued on. "I think our friend Edwards is trying to make a play at something. Maybe a grab at advancing up the chain. There's a very good reason over by the SDF-1." He pointed towards the ongoing construction of the SDF-2.

Lisa frowned a bit. "He's trying to make himself look good so he can run the show on the SDF-2 potentially, and this little act may be a way towards doing that. Think about it. He 'rescues' Minmei after Star Saver turns sideways. That would diminish us in the eyes of those making the choice."

Rick nodded. "Makes perfect sense now."

The Admiral smiled. "He forgot one thing. **I** have the final say on who will run the SDF-2. I would sooner have Edwards in charge of a garbage truck before he gets to be in charge of the SDF-2. This ambitious little _suka_ has bitten off a bit more than he can chew." He took another puff on his pipe before continuing. "The question is, how do we fix this?"

"Well, if I heard correctly, they're bringing Minmei and Kyle here to see what they know about who took them. I highly doubt that they even were told as to what happened."

Lisa perked up. "Or even his superiors. Does Colonel Maistroff know what happened exactly?"

The Admiral shook his head. "No, Jonas has no idea what occurred. He just got back from Monument about an hour ago."

Lisa looked at Rick, who smiled and nodded. "I think we may have to have a chat with Maistroff with that information. It'll put an end to this travesty rather quickly."

The Admiral nodded. "I can do you one better." He picked up his phone and dialed an extension. "Jonas? It's Henry. Mind stopping by my office? I think I have some information you may need to know about."

Gloval went ahead and placed the folder down on the desk. It was then Rick saw something slide out of it just a split second before. He looked and saw it appeared to be a USB drive.

"Sir, I think there's another part to this. Look." He picked up the drive. "Looks like he didn't check all the evidence either."

Lisa nodded. "Rick, do you have your laptop with you?"

Rick hesitated for a second. "Dunno if I trust a USB drive from a dead Zent connected with Khyron. With our luck, it's got some sort of virus on it that would lock up the entire Command network." He thought things over and smiled. "However, I do have a contact down in Engineering that owes me a favor." He took out his cellphone and punched in a number.

"Hey, Danny? Rick. Mind coming up to Admiral Gloval's office? And bring a laptop that's not on the Command network."

Lisa gave Rick a puzzled look. "Who do you know in Engineering? Didn't think Vertiech jocks mixed with the Geek Squad."

"Sergeant Danny Rodgers. Played a little pick-up hockey with him a few times. Decent guy and he's pretty good with computers. He owes me for helping with a clinic for some of the kids that play pee-wee a few weeks ago."

 _So that's why he wasn't around that weekend,_ Lisa thought. _He probably told me, but I never checked my messages. And that touched off one hell of a fight on the TacNet right after._ She looked over at Rick, suddenly feeling a bit sheepish.

"So, that clinic. That wouldn't have been..."

"Yeah, that was the no-show that touched off the 'get your popcorn ready' fight. I thought I told you about that, which is why I probably got a bit more defensive than usual. I did leave you a message well before."

"I guess I owe you an apology, then. I didn't check my messages and I overreacted. By the time I did, I was too embarrassed by how I acted."

"Forgave you shortly after the fight ended, Lisa. I kinda figured that's what happened and didn't want to push the issue."

Admiral Gloval sat back bemused by the back and forth between his XO and CAG. _They have all the signs of a couple in love, yet have not admitted it to each other. I'm sure everyone around them realizes it as well. They would have to be blind not to._

A few minutes, later, a lanky man with very short brown hair and glasses was admitted to the office.

"Sergeant, thank you for coming. Commander Hunter speaks highly of your computer prowess," the Admiral intoned.

"Thank you, sir. Mind if I use this table to set up? And I have to ask, why did we need a non-networked laptop?"

Rick looked over at the technician. "Danny, what we're about to cover here is high-level material. Consider it Code Red. Nothing leaves this room. The drive in question was found on a dead Em Zee that may be connected to the Minmei kidnapping."

Rodgers nodded. "Completely understood. I'll be performing a complete wipe on the laptop after I get back to my station."

Rick handed the drive over to Rodgers who quickly attached it to the laptop. A few minutes later, the laptop was up and running and a virus scan had been performed on the drive. "It's clean. Whoever had the drive didn't leave any gifts on there." He cracked his knuckles. "OK, time to see what's on here." He clicked on the icon for the drive and opened the contents while Rick, Lisa, and Admiral Gloval looked on.

"Looks like there's one thing on here. A video file. Not too big," Rodgers said. "Want me to start it up?"

Rick and Lisa looked at the Admiral, who simply nodded. Rick turned to Rodgers. "Go ahead, Danny."

Rodgers clicked on the file. The screen went black and then a picture of Khyron came up. Rodgers quickly adjusted the volume so all in the room could hear.

"Greetings, Micronians. This message is for Commander Rick Hunter. Commander, you have been in a thorn in my side for quite some time. I never forget a fellow warrior that has nearly bested me killed me in battle three times. However, our past history is not why this message is being sent. Instead, this has to do with the one you care about above all others, the Sorceress Minmei."

Rick tried to stifle a laugh while the others all were watching intently. _Jesus, Khyron. You are way behind the times here,_ he thought.

"I had captured her thinking she was a valuable asset and a powerful wielder of magic that helped you puny backwards primates best us two years ago. However, during her captivity, I found there was something else in play, namely the emotional attachment between you and her. I did see you did try to save your beloved, but you and your men failed in that. Having proved my point, I have instructed my men to release her for now. I will have my revenge, Commander. You can rest assured that neither you nor her will ever be truly safe until the SDF-1 is mine."

With that, the video cut out.

"Thank you, sergeant. You are dismissed for now." Rodgers saluted quickly and left the office, leaving the three others in place to go over what they just saw.

Lisa looked over at Rick, who was smiling and appeared to be fighting a losing battle against laughing at what he had just heard. A few seconds, he gave in and started to chuckle, then outright laugh. This in turn had Lisa smiling as well, for a bit different reasons. _That reaction just spoke volumes, flyboy._

"Is something amusing about this video, Commander?" the Admiral intoned with a bit of malice behind it.

"Sorry, sir, but I can't help it," Rick stated while doing his best not to burst out laughing. "Khryon seems to think that Minmei and I are a 'we'. That's not exactly the case at all. Basically, he's banking on me being a wild card if something happens to her. I mean, yeah, it wouldn't be good if something were to happen to her, but I think Big Ugly and his pals got their signals crossed. As in, I'm not about to go rogue over someone that I haven't had feelings for in quite some time."

"So, you're telling me they're basing their next plan of attack on a pretty broad assumption of your feelings, Commander?"

"It would definitely appear that way, sir. Looks like Khyron got a case of the bad intel bug too."

Lisa sat back and smiled. "And it looks like Edwards missed a major clue as to how Khyron is planning to go forward." _Not only did this confirm he hid info, I also find out Minmei's, for all intent and purpose, out of the picture. Talk about a daily double._

A buzz came up from the Admiral's phone on his desk. Walking over, he punched one of the buttons. The tinny voice of the orderly came up on the other end. "Sir, Colonel Maistroff is here to see you."

"Send him in."

The door opened and an older man in full RDF dress uniform walked on in. Colonel Jonas Maistroff was one of Admiral Gloval's closest confidants at Command. Charged with heading up the Intelligence wing of the RDF, he was the keeper and collector of secrets for the organization. Rick and Lisa both stood and saluted, which was returned in kind. Maistroff then turned to the Admiral and saluted. Gloval returned the salute and extended a hand.

"Jonas, I hated to call you in so quickly after your return from Monument."

"I figured if you did, it had to be something important, Henry. What is going on with the Minmei operation? I heard Star Saver didn't go off very well."

Gloval sighed. "It appears that way. It wasn't anything to do with the work of your wing though. Khyron got the better of us and has gotten wise to our information collecting efforts in the field. Commander Hunter and his men bore the brunt of it."

Maistroff turned to Rick. "I watched the operation from Monument. You did the best you could under the circumstances, Commander."

Rick nodded. "Thank you, sir. I know your guys did the best they could as well."

Maistroff turned back to Gloval. "Henry, I know this isn't a social call. I did catch some of my underling's briefing. I'm guessing that's what this meeting is about."

Gloval nodded. "Indeed. It appears that Major Edwards withheld some information before going on his little speech. It was not a simple financial transaction that got the hostages free. It appears someone decided to eliminate the captors and also send the Commander a message from Khyron himself where he stated that Minmei was freed only to keep the Commander in line due to some sort of romantic attachment between the two, which we have found has no grounding."

An exasperated sigh escaped from Maistroff as he looked towards the ceiling. "So you're telling me my second in command willfully ignored evidence and is trying to make himself into the hero?"

The Admiral could only nod.

Maistroff looked out the window. "He's been eying the Deuce for quite a while. He feels that he should be running things. And he's figuring if he can make Captain Hayes and Commander Hunter unfit for further promotion by, say, botching a key operation, he would benefit."

Lisa spoke up at this point. "That looks to be the case, Colonel. I have a bit of a history with Edwards seeing he was on my father's staff in Alaska. He was the mole to the Council there as well. My father knew of this and was about to ship him elsewhere when Dolza arrived. So that covers as to why he wanted me out of the way. As for Commander Hunter, I'm not sure as to why he would..."

"Because he probably figured out that you and I are pretty tight, Lisa," Rick interrupted. "Think about it. He knocks you off the block to get back at your dad. He takes me down to get back at you and to eliminate the only other candidate for command of the Deuce. Doing it like this also makes him into the hero and raises his stock with Monument for the command as he manages to do something where we, for lack of a better word, failed."

Maistroff could only crack a smile at the theory put forth. "Very good insights, Commander. I would have to agree with that." He turned back towards the others. "So, our next move?"

"Simple, we stop the interviews, get the two civilians out of here, and let Khyron's latest plan explode in his face."

"Agreed." Maistroff turned to the Admiral. "Henry, when this is done, I will be submitting a transfer order for Major Edwards. Any exotic locations we can send him to?"

"I was thinking someplace far from here. New Harbin may work. There's a small listening post right on the Amur that needs a new commander."

Maistroff nodded. "Henry, I think we need to head over to where they are and put a stop to this madness." The two senior officers made their way to the door, followed by Rick and Lisa. Before leaving, Rick grabbed his phone and punched in two contacts sending a quick message. Nodding to Lisa, he followed her out of the office.


	17. A Call To Arms

Time for reviews:

 **sscaldwe** \- Thanks! Edwards was a conniving little arrogant twerp and I figured he'd have a role to play here. The backstory with the late Admiral Hayes is something I've see in other works, so I figured I'd give it full flight. Besides, now he has a good reason to slide the knife in. However, the others saw right through it and as you'll see, it doesn't end too well for old TJ(R).

 **jag389** \- Thanks! Just have to wait and see how things go for Edwards, but I can guarantee it doesn't end well.

 **theGhostflyer** \- Exactly what you brought up here. I've portrayed Edwards as arrogant and thinking he's above things due to his connections with Monument. However, that will play against him in a big way coming up. Having a good chunk of the command structure at your base turned into enemies is not a good way to get what you want. As for Khyron, there's a theory in play that will be revealed shortly. As for his plan, well, lets just say he did his homework regarding Earth history. It will be a bit unsettling, but very plausible. Thanks for the kudos sir!

 **Adena McGee** \- I thought that would be a perfect touch if Rick found out that was Khyron's game. Well, he's about to turn it on its ear. Also, the Admiral would have to been aware as to what his two higher ranking officers were up to with the banter on the TacNet. Also, you'd have to think that Rick being (at this point) the Commander of the Air Group (CAG) on base, he'd have some say in strategy. The series always kind of glossed over that. The cut scene I have in mind for the aftermath after the house visits will put that all in context, but yeah, I implied Rick was pretty wasted after that night, so the brain waves were probably running a bit slower than usual.

Next installment is ready to go. Also, kudos to anyone that catches one of the movie references in here (hint: there's at least two).

 _ **(A/N from 2/25/17 - messed up a major character's name. Adjusted. We're good now)**_

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen – A Call To Arms**

The group of four of the highest ranking officers stationed to Macross Command striding down the hall caused activity to come to a stop as they passed. Barely taking any time to acknowledge anyone, Admiral Gloval, Colonel Maistroff, Captain Hayes, and Commander Hunter all walked with a purpose as they headed towards a bank of conference rooms near the Intelligence wing. As they came near a corridor, Max, Ben, and Wilcox all joined with their comrades as they looked to find where Edwards was with the two civilians.

Wilcox looked over at Rick and nodded. "Max and Ben filled me in. Had to tag along seeing this rat bastard screwed the Rapiers over as well. And I owe you a serious apology. And here I thought you'd be the one that would go loopy about being the hero and Blinky decides to pull that card."

Rick nodded with a smile. "No worries, Tom. As you can see, it's not going to end well for our old friend on this one. Pissing off a few Veritech jocks and an XO? That's one thing."

"But pissing off your immediate superior and the base commander? That's suicide," Lisa added.

Wilcox chuckled. "Never said TR was a bright one."

The group arrived at a corridor with two MP's stationed out front. Maistroff looked at Gloval and the others. "I would think this is the place," he said.

One of the MP's looked at the group briefly and stated clearly. "Sorry, nobody's allowed down this corridor. Major Edwards's orders."

Gloval glared that the MP. "Soldier, every single one of the individuals in front of you outrank Major Edwards. I would highly suggest moving aside and letting us pass."

The MP looked again, and saw who was in front of him. Debating the merits of standing up to some of the highest ranking officers in the RDF, the MP decided discretion was the better part of valor and stepped aside with a salute. The group passed on by without any further incident down the corridor.

As they made their way down, Gloval looked to the others behind him. "Captain, you and the pilots wait outside and be ready to escort the Lynns out of here. Colonel Maistroff and I will handle Major Edwards."

A nod and a salute from Lisa acknowledged the order. Up ahead, they could see the room, once again guarded by another MP. Max then asked a question that the others had been wondering.

"Why all the security? If this was voluntary, there shouldn't be a need."

"Good question," Rick responded. "And one I'm sure the Major has a rehearsed answer. Then again, it's not a movie, so Kyle's not a threat. And well, the other one is Minmei."

"The only things at risk are your eardrums," Ben added.

Admiral Gloval stopped the group again. "Wait here. Colonel Maistroff and I have some business to attend to." The two most senior officers walked forward while the others stood back a bit, waiting for what was to happen next.

* * *

"For the last time, we don't know who they were," Kyle shouted at an indifferent Edwards. "Some guy got behind me and hit me with a stun stick. I was out cold, then woke up in a cage with giant Zentraedi in front of me. Then the female grabbed me, tried to pull my legs off for your Admiral's entertainment, then it was another stun shot, and the next thing I know, I'm back in New Macross."

"You didn't see a thing at all?"

"Nope," Kyle replied with a bit of an attitude. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you who it was, you warmongering pig." With that he spat towards Edwards. "Not without my lawyer present. I have rights, you know. This is illegal. You're holding us against our will."

Edwards walked over to the table and looked across at Kyle. "If I recall, sir, you and Miss Minmei volunteered to come down. Nothing illegal about it."

"Then why all the goons with guns outside? We're not a flight risk ya know? And as crazy as that big ugly Zentraedi is, he's not suicidal enough to try and take on a military base."

Edwards cleared his throat and then looked at Minmei. She was sitting next to Kyle, but was way down on the chair, trying not to be seen.

"Miss Minmei, did you see anything?"

She shook her head and whispered, "No."

"OK, what can you remember?"

A single sniffle broke the silence. Kyle turned to Edwards, "Can't you see she's in no shape to answer your questions? Look, we don't know who those guys were. We didn't get a clear look. And even if we did.."

Edwards was about to respond, but saw the door open. To his surprise, he saw a very angry Admiral Gloval and an equally angry Colonel Maistroff walk in. The Admiral turned to the two figures at the table and saw an equally angry Lynn Kyle and a very shaken Minmei.

"Edwards," Gloval rumbled. "What is the meaning of this lunacy?"

"Sir, I was just asking our two guests if they could lend any insight as to who was working with Khyron."

"Oh that's a load of crap," Kyle fired back. "Admiral, I told him even before we came here that neither of us saw a thing. Little tough to figure out who's jumping you from behind when they're behind you. But the Gestapo school dropout here continued to insist we had to come here."

Maistroff shot a hard look at Edwards. "You should have dropped this as soon as they said they didn't want to come to the base. You can't compel them to do something they don't want. First rule of taking a deposition. Don't make it look like you're arresting them. Which is what you are doing."

Edwards started to stammer. "But..but..but.."

Gloval looked at the now shaking Major. "Silence. Not another word out of you." He then turned to the two at the table. "Mister Kyle, Miss Minmei, you are free to leave. You have my deepest apologies regarding this incident."

Kyle and Minmei stood up and left without as much as a word. Gloval waited for the door to close, then turned to Edwards.

"Major Edwards, you do realize you were in complete violation of the OPSEC rules of the RDF with that press conference. Also, you gave out false information as we know for a fact that the driver and passenger of the van were killed by someone. It may have been someone connected with the Lynns or it may have been something else, that has yet to be determined. Also, you missed a key piece of information. Namely, this USB drive." Gloval pulled out the drive that was with the report. "And on this drive, there is a video recording of Khyron where he directly threatens a member of this base's command structure. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Edwards paced for a second, a dark look coming over his face. His lone eye showed a fire burning inside. "Admiral, with all due respect, you don't get it."

"Come again?"

"Oh come on, Admiral. The Zents aren't our friends. They're our enemies. And the last thing we need is some Zent lover like that bitch Hayes, or that idiot Hunter, or even worse, that Zent screwing moron Sterling running the show when the SDF-2 launches. You need someone with an iron will and an unwillingness to compromise with those freaks. I'm that man."

Gloval had heard enough. He reached across the table and grabbed Edwards by the lapels of his jacket and slammed him against the wall.

"That is enough! You, sir, are well out of order. Attitudes like this got us into this situation in the first place."

"What are going to do, Admiral? Shoot me?"

Gloval spoke in a tone that would have put the fear of God into anyone. "No, Major. I won't be shooting you. Do I look like Colonel Leonard? Besides, as much as I maybe like to do so, it would serve no purpose as your death would not change a thing and I also can't bill your worthless bloodline for the bullet. There is no way I would even allow a madman like yourself any where near the command of the SDF-2."

"There's more than enough people in Monument that think otherwise," Edwards shot back.

"Interesting. You forgot one little thing. I have final say on whoever takes command of the SDF-2. Monument can suggest you all they want. I can choose to ignore it. And I would, even if you were the only choice available."

The smug look on Edwards's face began to melt away as he made the realization that his plan was unraveling as quickly as it had begun.

"You will be heading to the brig until I have finalized what God-forsaken place I will be transferring you to. I will also be notifying your new commanding officer you are not to be transferred back to either Monument or Macross until well after the SDF-2 has launched."

The color from Edwards's face drained rapidly as a panic came over him at the finality of the situation.

Gloval dropped Edwards to the ground roughly and turned to Maistroff. "Jonas, go get me a few of the MP's. Tell them to take this piece of _der'mo_ to the brig."

Maistroff nodded and opened the door. A few seconds later, two MP's escorted Edwards out of the room towards the brig. As he left, he shot a look at Gloval and snarled. "Don't think I'll forget this, Admiral."

The Admiral didn't even bother answering. _Well, that's one crisis averted,_ he thought. It was just then he heard some sort of commotion in the hallway area. Looking to the sky and sighing, the Admiral then motioned to Maistroff towards the source.

* * *

As the Admiral was confronting Edwards about his apparent malfeasance in regards to the investigation, the two focal points of the issue at hand, Lynn Kyle and Minmei, exited the room where they were being held.

Up ahead, they a small group of RDF officers, some of whom were very familiar to the two. Kyle rolled his eyes as he saw who exactly were standing to escort them out. _Wonderful, it figures if Minmei is involved, that jackass Hunter would be nosing around,_ he thought.

Minmei also noticed the group up in front and did notice who was there waiting. _It's Rick! This is my chance to tell him New Detroit was a mistake!_ She started to walk a bit faster and then took off towards the group. Kyle tried to stop her, but lost her grasp. Sighing with more than a sense of exasperation, he followed his now running cousin towards a person he would have much happier never seeing or dealing with again.

Rick, Lisa, Max, Ben, and Wilcox were all standing about halfway down from where the two civilians had been held by Edwards and noticed the two exiting. It was at this point Rick turned to Lisa and smiled.

"Looks like the Admiral persuaded Edwards to let them go."

"I can only imagine the persuasion used," she deadpanned. "Knowing what Edwards wanted to do, I doubt the Admiral was very nice about it."

Rick nodded. It was also at this time, he noticed that one of the two was starting to pick up the pace and started into a full run. A shrill cry echoed down the hallway.

"Rick! Rick!"

Rick's smile faded as he recognized the voice. A quick look over at Lisa confirmed she had heard the voice as well as her slight smile had faded. _Well, it was something we'd have to deal with at some point,_ he thought. _And she's thrilled to see her. About as much as I am._

Lisa caught Rick glancing over at her as she heard Minmei's cries to him. _Either that's one heck of a poker face or he's about as glad to see her as I am,_ she thought. _Not going to react one way or another, but just going to see how this plays out._

A few seconds later, the short black-haired woman reached her destination, clutching on to Rick and sobbing. "Oh, Rick! It was horrible. Khyron kidnapped us to get the SDF-1 back!"

"I know, Minmei. All that matters is that you and Kyle are out of there."

"It's not like you helped or anything, warmonger," Kyle interjected. "You should have just given up the SDF-1 and he'd be out of here."

Rick shot Kyle a look and shot back. "You really believe that? Khyron doesn't do deals. If we had given in, he'd have the SDF-1, and you two would be dead. Once he had what he wanted, what purpose would you or her serve to him?"

"Like fighting made much of a difference? I saw the highlights."

Rick started to feel his anger rise. "Yeah, I'm really happy I wasted lives trying to save you," he added with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "Kyle, lets get one thing straight here. You don't like me because I fight. I don't like you because you're a pompous, arrogant ass that doesn't know when to shut the hell up."

Kyle bristled at Rick's depiction of his actions. "How dare you.."

Rick ignored the man and continued on. "However, it was my job to rescue you two. Not out of any obligations or any feelings towards the situation, just because I was asked to. And as much as my existence may sicken you, Kyle, without me and the others here, you wouldn't have that opportunity to sound off like you do. Just keep that in mind."

Minmei heard this and released herself from Rick. She looked at him and saw he had a stern look about him and was not smiling. _He didn't mean that, did he? He did it because I was there._

"Rick. You weren't serious about that, were you?"

Rick looked back down at Minmei, noticing the hurt look on her face. _Sorry, kid. This was business,_ he thought before continuing.

"Minmei, I think you may want get Kyle and head back home. It's been a long last few days. A little rest wouldn't hurt. The MP's up at the end of the hall will escort you to the gates."

She nodded sadly and walked towards Kyle. Soon, the two were walking past the group. Minmei looked back at Rick, with a tear going down the side of her face. _What changed in him? I always thought he'd be there for me._

Kyle, however, was not going to be silent as he left.

"Tell me, Hunter. How did it feel explaining to all those families that you screwed this up?"

The others gasped collectively at the choice wording and the subject matter brought up by Kyle. _If he was ever going to get a reaction out of Rick, that would certainly do it,_ Lisa thought as she saw the impending chaos unfold.

It was then that the others saw an aspect from Rick's makeup that none had ever seen in the years they knew and worked with him. Most often, they had seen either his happy-go-lucky joking side that he showed to friends. They also had seen his command persona, where he was pretty much unflappable in a tight spot. The side that was about to be displayed was one he had kept under wraps, but under the right circumstances, it could arise. The comment by Kyle brought this up. The silence in the hallway was broken by a shout from Rick.

"You son of a bitch!"

Rick tore after Kyle with a murderous intent set on his face. Just as he was about to reach the target of his anger, Max, Ben, and Wilcox clutched on to him, trying to keep their friend and comrade from pounding Kyle into a mass of putty.

Kyle had watched Rick tear towards him and felt a bit of smug comfort as his friends were holding him back from getting any closer.

"What's the matter, babykiller? Touch a nerve?"

Rick looked towards Minmei, who was off to the side looking on in pure terror, pleading with both of them to stop.

Rick looked back at Kyle. "So says the guy trying to get his cousin into bed with him. What part of China are you originally from, Kyle? Alabama?"

It took a second for Kyle to register the comment and what it fully implied. Once he did, his eyes went wide and a scowl broke out over his face. Within seconds, Kyle started towards Rick with full intent of teaching the pilot a lesson. It was at that moment that two large MP's got between him and the object of his wrath.

"Take that back, you bastard!"

Minmei hung her head down after the comment. _Why is he saying such hurtful things?,_ she thought. _I didn't do anything._

Feeling a bit of safety behind the two large soldiers and seeing the target of his criticism safely held back by his friends, he was about to take another verbal shot at Rick, but was interrupted by a figure in a white uniform, with green eyes flaring with anger.

"Commander! Stand now, NOW!"

Rick tensed for a second, then realizing that violating a direct order would not be in his best interest, relented. He stood back, surrounded by the other pilots, still shooting Kyle a look that told that he would have killed the man if given a chance.

Kyle smiled as he noticed that Lisa had interceded. "Thank you Captain. At least someone here has a sense of order."

Lisa spun around, with a deadly look in her eyes.

"Thank you? Screw you! I should have let Commander Hunter come over and beat some sense into you. Get the hell out of here before I have you thrown in the brig!"

Kyle looked at Lisa with a mix of incredulous disbelief and contempt. However, it was the look from the two MP's and the four pilots that convinced him that continuing would not be a good idea. He stood back and took a deep breath.

"Come on Minmei, I don't think we're wanted here anymore."

The young woman walked over towards her cousin, not wanting to be there any more than he did at the moment. She took a look back towards Rick.

Rick was standing next to Max and Ben. His arms were crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face, and a look of pure anger in his eyes. She also caught Lisa walking towards him, which caused Rick's demeanor to change to one that was a bit more positive. Seeing this, Minmei turned away, tears streaming down her face, not even bothering to look back as the MP's led them away.

As he saw Lisa come walking over, he could feel the anger starting to dissipate.

"Thanks for stepping in there. If you hadn't, I'd probably be on my way to brig," he said with a wry smile. "By the way, did you mean it about letting me beat the crap out of him?"

Lisa nodded. "After that first crack, I wouldn't have blamed you."

It was then that the Admiral and Colonel Maistroff arrived. Looking over the situation, the Admiral looked to his two senior officers. "I guess everything is under control now?"

Both Rick and Lisa nodded. With that, the assembled RDF officers started to make their way back to their assigned posts to continue the day.

* * *

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kyle was on his cellphone. _Probably calling Xamdar to take us back to the hotel._

She took a sharp sigh and let the tears continue to flow. _What did I ever do to him to cause this? He was never anything but sweet and loyal, now he's indifferent and almost mean,_ she thought. _Maybe Kyle is right. He's become more military and lost himself. If I could talk to him, maybe I could convince him that this path is wrong and that he can leave. And that would give us a chance._ She nodded to herself. _Yes, that's what I need to do. Rick, you'll be mine again and I'll get you away from this._

It was then that she had noticed how the Captain had looked over at Rick after they had started to make their way back.

 _Well, it looks like I_ _ **do**_ _have some competition after all. If you decide on getting in the way, well, if I can best Jan Morris in a beauty contest, I think I can best you, Captain Hayes. Besides, you're not that pretty. Not as pretty as me._

It was with this thought that Minmei entered the car with Kyle and were on their way back to their hotel.

* * *

As day turned into night, Xamdar found his duties for Minmei and Kyle were not needed once they got back to the hotel. _Not a second too soon,_ he thought. _Midao and the others are probably wondering where I am._ Picking up his cellphone, he dialed in and waited. Once the connection was made, he started talking.

"Midao, I'm on my way. I should be there in about twenty standard minutes. Once there, I'll make contact and we should be able to get the operation underway."

With that, he closed the phone and continued on his way over. During the drive, Xamdar found himself going through some of the aspects of the drive back to the hotel with his employers.

 _It appears that things did not go well at the base. The reaction of the Commander was, curious, at best. If Minmei is supposed to be his beloved, his reaction was quite the opposite. Maybe it was to throw the Sot off. Still, you would have thought the Sorceress would have known that._ A hard sigh followed. _It was hard to tell after that as the Sorceress and the Sot went into their code. I've yet to figure out what they're saying, so maybe they might be on to me as well. I should be a bit more cautious going forward._

A smirk came over Xamdar's face as he thought on. _Although, if this goes as planned, caution can be thrown to the wind soon enough._

He arrived at the location, which was a non-descript house not far from the downtown area. It was a neighborhood that was heavily populated by Micronized Zentraedi in the past year. He chose this as a base location as they would blend in with the population and be harder to detect.

Once inside, the house, he made his way down to the basement. In there was a mini communications center, a large TV that doubled as a viewscreen, and about thirty other Zentraedi. Xamdar looked over and saw Midao and nodded. He then walked to the front of the room, directly in front of the viewscreen.

"Warriors. In a few short moments, I will contacting Khyron and we shall have our orders on how to proceed. The time for action is arriving."

With that, Xamdar clicked on a button. The screen came alive with a picture of Khyron. The assembled warriors saluted, which was returned.

"Xamdar, I see you have the men gathered."

"Yes, my Lord. We await your orders."

"Very well. Your orders are as follows. Sow as much chaos as you can across New Macross. I do not want these Micronian scum thinking they can have a moment of peace as long as they have the SDF-1. If we cannot parlay for the craft, we will scare it from them. You have studied the archival material, correct?"

"We have, my Lord. All of us are ready."

"Good. In the words of the Micronians, let's start this off with a bang," Khyron said with a smile.

The smile was returned in kind by Xamdar. "Yes, my Lord. We already have our volunteer."

A brownish Zentraedi stepped forward.

"Soldier! What is your name?"

"Korgin, my Lord!"

"Well, Korgin, for what you are about to do, you shall be mentioned in the archives for your act of selflessness."

"Thank you, my Lord. It is an honor!"

Xamdar nodded to Korgin, who then saluted and walked upstairs.

"Xamdar, I will be monitoring the feeds from New Macross. As soon as the operation has succeeded, I will be contacting the Micronians with our demands. You will then proceed as you see fit. Use some caution, but keep them on their toes. Warriors, you know your orders. Follow them to the letter!"

The screen went dead. Within a minute, Xamdar's personal communicator lit up. Opening it, it was Khyron again.

"Xamdar, one other thing. It was something I did not want to mention in front of the men. How did the gambit attempted by that fool Edwards go?"

"Not well to say the least. You were correct in Gloval and Hunter sniffing it out almost immediately. However, there may be a potential complication in things."

Khyron gave a hard look. "Explain."

"Well, Commander Hunter finally met with the Sorceress and it did not go well."

"What? Was she not his beloved?"

"It appears that the Sot Lynn Kyle got involved. It could be a case of another one of those Micronian emotions, one called jealousy."

"Jealousy, eh? Explain this further."

"It is simple, my Lord. It appears the Sot covets the Sorceress as much as Hunter may. We could very well play them against each other. The Sot, when he's not drunk, is as much of an impressive warrior as Hunter is."

"Somehow I doubt that after the warehouse, Xamdar. However, I'll let you play along with this idea of yours. But, bear in mind. If this does not work, it will become very unpleasant for you."

"Understood, my Lord."

With that, the communicator went dead. Closing it, Xamdar checked back with Midao on Korgin's progress.

"He should be in position in about five minutes, Xamdar."

"Good, this should get their attention," Xamdar added as a sinister smile crossed his lips.

* * *

The crowd at the Officer's Club at Command was bit heavier than usual. Lisa had not planned on going to the Club after her shift ended, but a text from Rick saying he was going to be there had changed her mind. _It's like he wants to hang out a bit more often now,_ she thought. _And that's not a bad thing at all._ Lisa had grabbed a booth off to the side, but she had noticed that the Trio were here. She had kept her things at the booth, but was currently over with the other three, chatting about events and trading jokes.

It was then Rick walked in, noticing her with the Trio, he nodded and walked over.

"So, what brings Rick Hunter into the Officer's Club? It's a rare occasion you do stop in," Kim said.

"Well, Kim. I do have a bet to pay off here. Vanessa, whatever it is you're having, next one is on me."

Vanessa looked at Kim and Sammie, smiling. "Told you I was right! Commander, I'll have a vodka and tonic with extra lime when you get a chance."

With a nod, Rick walked over to the bar and returned with a clear drink and a bottle of Petite Cola. "Well, I never cop out of a bet. You won, fair and square. Enjoy," he said with a smile. With that, he motioned to Lisa to head on over to the booth.

"Just a cola tonight, Rick?"

"Don't think my liver could handle any more alcohol after last night, but after today, I don't think you would have blamed me if I did have a few beers."

She smiled. "Yeah, that's to be understood. Totally surreal day. First Edwards tries a mini-coup, then the whole mess with.."

Rick sighed. "Don't remind me. I owe you a thanks for making sure I didn't waste my career on a piece of crap like Kyle."

"Think nothing of it. It's kind of my job to keep you on the straight and narrow and get you out of close calls."

"It's a job you've done well over the past few years."

She blushed a bit at this. "It's not a problem at all," she responded with a slight smile. _Of course, I don't mind. Think about it, flyboy._

Rick took a sip of his cola. "The more I think about it, the more I see what direction everything is going. Not that I mind at all. Far from it."

Lisa smiled a bit more. _Is this the night he finally says something?_

* * *

As it approached 9 PM, Poston's department store was a swarm of activity. One of the more upscale stores located in the downtown area of New Macross, the holidays meant more activity later in the evening.

A lone man walked in and looked around. Taking in the amount of people, he smiled as he walked to the middle of the main display.

He stopped in the middle, reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone. Holding his arms outward, he opened the phone.

He yelled out, "The Army of Righteousness is upon you, Micronians!," then tapped a button on the phone.

The man and the room were enveloped in a bright white light. From the outside, the building appeared to rumble, then the windows exploded outwards, showering the street with glass, flames, and debris.

* * *

As Rick was about to say something, he was distracted by something on the TV.

"Lisa, you may want to turn around."

Lisa spun around and saw the Breaking News header on the TV. Talk died down as the reporter came up on the screen.

"We have breaking news into the MBS News24 studios. Reports are that there was a bombing of the Poston's department store in the downtown section of New Macross. Early reports say there may be dozens of casualties from this attack. No groups have taken responsibility as of yet. The situation is very fluid at the moment, but MBS will have the latest and will report as we receive further..."

At this moment, the screen flickered and then changed over. On the screen was a familiar vision to both Lisa, Rick, and many in the Club.

"Good evening, Micronians. Do I have your attention now? That little blast at that provisions station was brought to you by my Army of Righteousness. They fight for me and do as I command. The best part? They can be anywhere in New Macross! That's right, you Micronian scum. Nowhere in your little settlement is safe. However, I will call this off if you hand over the SDF-1 to me. Until then, you will experience what true terror is. Sleep well, Micronians. I know I will."

The communication cut off with a loud cackle and switched back to the MBS feed, with the anchor looking visibly shaken.

The look was echoed by many in the Club. Rick looked over at Lisa, who nodded. Both put their drinks down and made their way to the exit, joining an exodus from the Club.


	18. Shattered Dreams

Reviews...

 **jag389** \- Indeed. There will be some more satisfying takedowns coming up shortly. Thanks for sticking with this one!

 **sscaldwe** \- Hey, it just worked lol. Edwards done out-thought himself and got caught rather quickly. There's plenty of places that would work out nicely for an exile..personally, I was thinking of some places that were very remote. Seeing Gloval is Russian, probably something in Siberia would work nicely *insert devious grin*. As for Khyron, he's gotta live up to being the big bad guy in all of this. So, nothing is off the table for him. I think Rick definitely has help thanks to Max, Ben, Miriya, and of course Lisa. Thanks! I was striving to have Rick grow up and wake up a bit. He had a really good thing sitting right there in front of him and never realized it until the very end of the series. It was one thing that annoyed me quite a bit, so thanks to this fic, I can kinda change that a bit. Not drastically, but over time. And yeah, I gave a lot of thought of having Lisa decking him, but thought the tart response worked better (was totally inspired by a scene in Crimson Tide, btw). Lastly, totally in agreement there about Minmei. One of my least favorite characters on the whole show.

 **Adena McGee** \- Yeah, he's a big ol' buzzkill. Line to kick Big Ugly around is forming to the left, and I think our heroes have first crack :) Thanks! It gives the plot some depth and hopefully makes for a better story. And thanks for the comparison. Haven't read those in ages.

 **theGhostflyer** \- You may be right there, but I'm not at liberty to say lol. Yeah, Xamdar prides himself on knowing the Micronians better than most Zents (at least that's how he sold himself to Khyron), but there's some things he doesn't get quite yet. Thanks! I see that was a solid winner lol. Originally, I was going to have Ben shoot that one off, but in the heat of things, I can see a pissed off Rick firing that one. And yeah, I had Kyle go there to show that side of Rick, and seeing he's a not very likable character to begin with, making him go full d-bag wasn't a stretch. Needless to say, the comments won't be forgotten down the road. Also to answer your question, not prior service, but my Dad was Navy and one of my best buds from work was Air Force. Glad to see that everyone's liking how things are going with the characters. The Edwards takedown was well worth it and I thought the venom towards the heroes was something that would mold him going forward. I think between the crack about Lisa and Max, well, Rick would have had more than enough reason to render Edwards into a fine paste.

* * *

Moving along now. This is more of a fluffy type of chapter and a bit longer. Light on the action, but heavy on the character development. Also, very solid chance there's another cut scene that evolves from this.

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen – Shattered Dreams**

Khyron sat back in his command area of his dormant ship observing events from New Macross. It had been a little over a week since he had unleashed his newest gambit, one that he called Operation Skull Crusher. _The tactics may be crude at best,_ he thought while sipping on a glass of his favorite wine. _However, I cannot argue with the results._ Reports on the ground from his contacts had told him the city was on edge over the initial bombing attack on the department store. There had been minor attacks in other areas of the city as well. All of this was leading towards a growing tension between the Micronians and the Zentraedi in the city.

 _If this keeps up, I may get more willing recruits,_ he mused.

It was then that Azonia entered the area. She had also been privy to the plan, but had also questioned its validity initially.

"So, how are our operatives in New Macross fairing?"

"Very well, so far. The Micronians are starting to become a bit distrustful of Zentraedi in the city. It could be of major benefit for us going forward. They may tire of the Micronian ways and come back to us."

"Also, any ill treatment by the Micronians could push our people back to us," Azonia added.

Khyron nodded. "You're catching on, Azonia. It would also weaken the RDF more as they would have to worry about their home base being under attack from within."

"Meaning Zor's ship would be ripe for the taking."

"Exactly."

"But what of the Commander? From what your contact said, it appeared he wasn't all that interested in the Sorceress. Did we maybe misread his intentions?"

Khyron took another pull from the glass. "My contact does not feel that is the case. It may have been due to the Sot being around and wanting to show who was the more dominant. At least that's how it was read. However, he does have a bit better perspective as to these Micronian emotions than either of us, so I'll go with his best judgment for now."

"But what if he was wrong? All this work would have been fruitless."

A murderous look came over Khyron. "Then I'll eliminate him and take care of it myself. You know how well I tolerate failure."

"I did see over the information stream that we may have another opportunity for getting to Hunter."

"Yes, I did see that. However, it's too obvious of a target. They'll be expecting something. For now, the operatives in Macross have been told to bide their time. I'm sure another opportunity, one that is much less expected, will arise."

Khyron turned towards his cohort. "In due time, we'll have Zor's ship back, Macross will be flames, and the RDF destroyed."

Both smiled at the thought of their plans coming to fruition.

* * *

As another day dawned over New Macross, the news reports focused in on the activities of the "Army of Righteousness" and their overall pursuit of making Khyron's dreams of re-capturing the SDF-1 true. The last week had been tense for everyone in the city as the shock of the initial attack on Poston's passed, followed by anger at the attack taking place.

Rick Hunter was up and about after a late evening at Command. The newest class of recruits from Monument were almost ready to deploy to Command and he had started the process of going over the squadron rosters to see who could be shifted around to help rebuild both Skull and Rapier. _It's still going to take time to get the nuggets up to speed, but we should be able to handle things,_ he thought as he took a sip of coffee.

A slight buzzing from his cellphone was met with an increasingly disgusted look. Taking a quick glance at the ID, he knew what this was about. _And so today's round of messages begins,_ he thought with a sense of bitter sarcasm. _I really wish she'd get the hint already,_ he thought as he glanced at the latest message. _No, Minmei, I don't really feel like talking to you right now. I don't know if I even want to talk to you again, period._ Since the meeting on base after the "deposition" by the now disgraced Major Edwards, Minmei had taken to texting Rick multiple times, pleading for them to talk. He had responded in the only way he could think of – silence.

The latest message said something about a package being delivered to him and saying it was something he may be interested in. Opening his front door, he noticed a large shipping envelope on the front mat with the morning edition of the paper directly on top of it. _Looks like someone dropped this off last night after I got home. Funny, I didn't hear a knock._ Picking up the envelope and paper, he walked back inside and placed both on the kitchen table while he wandered back to his bedroom to change.

After changing into a fresh uniform, Rick decided to take a look at the envelope. Opening it up, he could scarcely believe his eyes. Inside were two front row tickets to Minmei's anticipated Macross Homecoming concert that was scheduled for a few days from now. Also included were two backstage passes, which he did expect. What caught him off guard was a hotel room key and a note inside.

 _Well, that's definitely different,_ he thought. He looked at the note, noting it was sprayed with her typical perfume, which made his stomach churn a bit. Curiosity got the better of him and he opened up the note. Reading through it, he didn't think anything of it. _Hi Rick, I sent these tickets and passes over as a way so we could possibly talk blah blah blah._ However, as he got to near the end of the note, his attitude changed. _You want to do_ _ **what**_ _to me? And_ _ **that**_ _? Is that even legal in this quadrant?_

Placing the note down, Rick sat at the table with his head in his hands, shaking it.

 _Holy crap, Minmei! Could you be a little more forward? This is reading like a very bad porno. One I have no desire to star in or even contemplate re-enacting with you_ , he thought. Then he let his mind wander a little bit. _Well, I do have the perfect co-star for something like this in mind. Too bad it's not you, Minmei,_ he thought with a sly smile.

It was at this moment, he heard a sharp knock at the door. Grabbing his coffee mug and taking another healthy sip, he opened it up and saw Max and Miriya standing outside.

"Hey, come on in you two."

"Ready for another fun day at the office, boss?" Max responded with a smile.

"May be fun for you two, but not me. I still have those evals to go through with Wilcox. The new class from Monument is almost all set. At least you get to actually get out and fly a bit."

"About time they finally cleared me, Commander," Miriya added. "I've been, as you say, chomping at the bit to get back in my craft."

"At least it's only a short hop. Easing you back into it, so to speak."

She nodded. "I was ready when Star Saver happened. I had told Captain Hayes that if anything had happened to Maximillian or you when that trap Khyron had unleashed, I was heading out there."

Rick nodded. "Max and I both had that assumption. And I doubt the Captain would have stopped you."

"She hinted that if anything had happened to you, she would have joined me."

 _I really don't doubt that at all, Mir,_ Rick thought.

Max spied the kitchen table. "Rick, is that what I think it is?"

Rick sighed. "Yeah, today's latest peace offering from Minmei. Two front row tickets to her show later in the week with backstage passes. She added in an extra special bonus."

"Which was?"

"A key to a hotel room and a note detailing what she planned to do to me."

Max and Miriya both had a surprised look on their faces. Picking up the note, Max read through and started to blush at the more racy parts. "Wow. Either she's had a lot of practice at this or she's been leafing through someone's old Playboy collection."

Miriya shook her head. "Somehow, I don't think that's how you're supposed to attract a mate."

Rick nodded. "It reads like a bad Skinimax movie, one I don't want to star in. The big question is one, how to handle these tickets, two, how to get out of going, and three, how the hell do I tell Lisa, as there's no chance she'd subject herself to a Minmei concert."

Max thought for a second. _That third part is a telling sign, my friend. You're in to Lisa a lot more than you are willing to admit, not that it's a bad thing_. He adjusted his glasses and continued on.

"Well, getting out of going is the easy part. You can use the Monument thing as a good excuse. As for the tickets, I'd say give them away or something. The third part, you have to handle that on your own. I'd probably opt for just showing her what was sent instead of not saying a word."

Rick nodded in agreement. "Now, who do we know that would like this? I'd say Ben and Amelia as a congratulations gift, but Ben hates Minmei's music and there's a good chance Amelia would uncork a boomstick maneuver on me the next time we're on patrol."

Max and Miriya both started to laugh.

Rick smiled and continued. "Next would be you two, but you're both my good friends and I wouldn't subject you to torture. Plus, the Grants are gonna be out of town, so no way are you leaving Dana home alone."

"Thanks, Rick. If you did offer those to me, I'd have to reconsider our friendship," Max added. Miriya nodded as well, as she was, as far as Rick knew, one of the few Zentraedi he knew that did not like Minmei's music.

"There's Baker. He hasn't done anything to piss me off yet this week, so he's safe. Wilcox would be a bad idea as he'd probably shoot me down out of spite if I did offer these up."

Just then, Rick thought of something. "I think I have an idea of how to get rid of the tickets," he said with a smile. "I think I may have to stop by the RDF Charities wing. They just set up a scholarship fund for the Star Saver Families. Seeing Minmei was the focus of the mission, it'd be a way of paying it forward, so to speak."

"More like paying it back, Commander," Miriya added.

"That too, Miriya," Looking at the clock, Rick nodded to the others. "Well, time to head to the office." He grabbed the package and locked up as he made his way over to Max's car and towards Macross Command.

* * *

Rick looked over at the four pilots sitting with him in the ready room near the hangar area. Behind him was a map of the patrol area and some recent images from a Cats Eye pass over the area of interest.

"So, that's the gist of what we're doing on this patrol. Nightwing, you have the lead. Deadpool, Plankton, and Stitch will be going with you on it. Basically, there's been an upswing in Em Zee activities all over the place since Khyron's little call to arms last week. The folks down in New Portland are asking for you take a gander to see if there's anything up."

"Looks pretty straight forward, boss," Baker commented.

"Looks can be deceiving, Plankton," Rick stated. "Star Saver was a perfect example of that."

"As long as there's no geese around, I should be fine."

"Baker, don't get cocky out there. Don't get me wrong, you're a good pilot, but reckless is not a good thing. Just be smart out there, OK?"

Rick looked at the others. "Any other questions? OK, saddle up and head on out. Good luck." A salute followed as he left the lectern.

As he made his way out, Max motioned over to Rick.

"I'll keep an eye on Plankton. Try to reign him in a bit."

"Thanks, Max," Rick said with a sigh. "Like I said, Baker's a good kid and a natural behind the stick, but.."

"He's a lot like you when you first started, and that's scaring the hell out of you."

"Yeah, exactly that. At least he hasn't called Lisa an Old Sourpuss on the TacNet."

Max laughed. "If he does, I think Miriya would shoot him down on principle."

Rick smiled a bit. "Good luck. Hopefully this should be a short hop. If things break right, you'll be back by dinner time."

"Here's hoping. Jean's keeping an eye on Dana and Bowie. I think she's off shift at the med wing until later."

"Tell ya what, if it does go longer and you get stuck, I'll keep an eye on her. Besides, she hasn't hung out with Uncle Rick in a bit."

Max laughed at the thought of Rick handling a toddler. "You sure you don't need help if that happens?"

"Trust me," Rick said with a sly grin. "I have the perfect helper if needed."

* * *

As he was making his way towards a different wing of the office complex, Rick looked at one of the directories. _There's the office I'm looking for,_ he thought. He then went into one of the elevators and tapped in the correct floor of his destination. As the elevator made its rise upwards, Rick looked out at the expanse of the complex, noting the SDF-2's current state. _Looks like the Deuce may be done ahead of schedule. And that means trying to see who wants to go and who wants to stay. That's going to make for some tough decisions there._

The thought ended as the elevator came to a stop and the door slid open. Looking down the hall, he found the number of the office was looking for and knocked on the door. Entering, he saw a small reception area and a large sign on the wall that read: "RDF Charities: Helping Those Who Defend." The orderly at the desk, a Corporal Janaway, looked up from her typing.

"Can I help you, Commander?"

"Yes, Corporal. Is Lieutenant Edgerton around?"

"Sure, sir. Let me go ahead and check." The corporal tapped a button on the phone and picked up. After a few seconds, she nodded. "Go right on in, sir."

"Thanks," Rick said, adding a quick salute while making his way in. He walked into the small office that Lieutenant Diana Edgerton called home. She was the leading force behind establishing the Charity wing of the RDF, seeing it as a way for the defenders of Macross to give back to those they defend and also benefit those in uniform as well.

Lieutenant Edgerton saw Rick at the door and motioned for him to come in. A quick salute was followed by a handshake between the two officers.

"Commander Hunter, it's a pleasure. What can I do for you?"

"Well, Lieutenant. I had a question to ask. With the upcoming Minmei homecoming concert, did they release any tickets for the RDF?"

Edgerton nodded. "They allotted us a block in the mid levels of the arena. Were you interested in a ticket? It's only $25 for enlisted personnel."

Rick shook his head. "I think I have something better." He opened up the envelope and pulled out the two tickets and backstage passes. Edgerton saw the location of the tickets and her eyes widened.

"How did you manage to get these?"

"Let's just say I know people. Or at least people want me to show up when I kind of don't want to."

Edgerton nodded, "I see, Commander. So, what did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking, maybe we could put these tickets up for auction and take the proceeds from the auction and put it towards the Star Saver Fund."

Edgerton smiled. "An excellent idea! This may be able to help that out a lot. I have a contact at MacrossOne that may be able to help out."

"Perfect. They'll probably ask who put these up. If they do, use the name Jack Napier."

"So noted, Commander." Edgerton stood up and shook hands with Rick as he prepared to leave. "This is a noble thing you're doing."

"Its the least I could do. Also, when the auction ends, please let me know how much it raised. I'm sure my guys would love to know."

"I will. Thank you again, Commander Hunter."

With that, Rick left the office and made his way to another office, one he knew the way to almost by heart.

* * *

 _So it looks like the SDF-2 is going to possibly be ready sooner than we thought,_ Lisa thought to herself as she reviewed the latest report on her desk. _. That's a good thing. The sooner it's ready to go, the sooner we can get to the Masters and see if they're friend or foe._ A sharp knock at the door brought her out of the thoughts of the next big mission awaiting the RDF.

"It's open!"

She smiled as she saw Rick come walking through. "Didn't expect you to swing by until later."

"Had some business nearby. Thought I'd stop and say hi."

"Pull up a chair, Rick. Figured since I have these reports here, I'd ask if you've had a chance to check on the progress of the Deuce."

"She's coming along good, from what I can tell. Have to figure we'll have to start making decisions on who's coming and who's not."

Lisa nodded. "Right now, it's ahead of schedule. Looking like it should be ready to launch by April. Gives us about five months to get things finalized for the crew."

"Gotcha. You got my transfer request for the Deuce already?"

"Noted and approved. We'll need a good CAG aboard. And why not bring our best."

"Flattery, Captain, will get you everywhere," Rick added with a wink, eliciting a smile from Lisa. It was just then that Rick heard his phone buzzing. He eyed the caller ID and frowned.

"Let me guess, our least favorite pop-tart calling again?"

"Yep. It's about the seventh call today. Lord only knows how many texts I've gotten."

"Ever think about blocking her number?"

"Not yet. I still have to answer something. I got a very interesting present on my front step this morning."

Lisa scowled. "Define 'interesting'."

"Two front row tickets for her Macross Homecoming show later in the week, with backstage passes."

"Before you even ask, no. You know how much I like her music," she retorted.

"Who says I was going to ask?" The scowl on Lisa's face grew at that comment, but before she could reply with something withering, Rick continued. "Besides, I have no intentions of going. Matter of fact, I just stopped up at RDF Charities and gave them the tickets and passes. They're gonna work with MacrossOne and auction them off, with the proceeds going to the Star Saver Fund."

The scowl disappeared and was replaced by a smile. "That's a noble thing, Rick."

"Thanks," he then looked at the envelope and took a deep breath. "The tickets weren't the only thing I got." He opened the envelope and pulled out the key and note.

"Seems she's wanting me to meet up. So much so that she sent over a hotel key and a note. I hope you haven't eaten recently when you read that," he stated as he handed the note over to Lisa.

Lisa opened up the note and read. She could feel a sense of amusement rise up as she read. _Unbelievable. She's still trying,_ she thought. It was when she hit the end of the note that her expression turned from amusement to anger. _You want to do_ _ **that**_ _to him? Are you serious?_

Rick was trying to gauge her reaction to the note. _Something tells me this is not going over very well,_ he thought as he saw her expression.

Lisa put the note down and looked skyward. _Pretty brazen of you, pop-tart. You really trust Rick a lot in writing that and him not turning it over to the press._ A quick smile came across her face. _Then again, you just gave me some ideas. Not that I haven't thought about some of these.._

"Well, that was an interesting read. She's got a future working in a certain industry if that singing thing doesn't work out."

"Yeah, I had the same thoughts as well. Needless to say, I won't be accepting her invitation. I can think of much better things to do."

"So, seeing I handle the executive scheduling, I think you'll have duty that night. Shadowing the bridge staff. I'll be on that night as well," Lisa added with a wink.

"Works for me. Guess I better break the bad news." Rick then swiped at his phone and pulled up one of the messages. Tapping on Reply, he started to type in his response:

 _Hey, got your package. Thanks, but I'm actually on duty that night. Can't attend. Sorry!_

He tapped on the Send button. "Well, I expect a reply pretty quickly. I give it about two minutes."

Rick would turn out to be wrong. It was a good fifteen minutes before the reply came. When it did, Rick looked at the message and scowled.

"Get this, I'm apparently a selfish, ungrateful bastard for not going. And..." Rick's eyes went wide. "Whoa. Oh boy, Lisa, she does **not** like you at all."

Lisa put the back of her hand to her forehead and swooned dramatically. "Oh my stars! Miss Macross doesn't like me. What ever shall I do?"

"Well, I think you better read," Rick said while handing over the phone.

Lisa read over the message. Any mirth about her standing with Minmei evaporated as she read on, replaced by a feeling of anger. _Really? Calling me_ _ **that**_ _? You pathetic little bitch!_ She looked up at Rick with a look of murderous intent.

"It might be a very good idea if I don't cross paths with her for a while."

Rick nodded. "It might be a very good idea if **I** don't cross paths with her after that."

"Well," Lisa thought. "If the rumors are true, it may have been the Jameson talking."

"Wouldn't be the first for that," Rick mused, thinking back to the New Detroit incident. "At least when she decided to lose her cool this time, she did it in English instead of Chinese."

"Not very smart on her part if she's trying to win you back, Rick."

"No, it's not. At this point, I doubt there's much she could do."

Lisa smiled. _Just a matter of time now. He's probably waiting for the right moment to go ahead with that._

* * *

Rehearsal for the Homecoming concert had been nothing short of awful for Minmei. It wasn't the songs, as she knew them by heart and could sing them with the same intensity as on the SDF-1 even when having a fifth of scotch in her. It wasn't the dance moves either, as she could improvise, making a drunken stumble turn into the latest thing to do at the clubs. None of these were the reasons as to why the rehearsal sessions were becoming torture. Desperate to reach out to Rick to correct him in the error of his ways, at least from her point of view, she had resorted to calling or texting at every chance she had when she had a break. For the most part, they had gone unanswered or straight to his voice mail.

It was only then she had her idea. Sending him the tickets and backstage passes always worked in the past, she had figured. However, she thought she might sweeten the pot by including the key to a hotel room and a very provocative note scented in her favorite perfume.

The shock that this sure fire ploy backfired was incalculable. As soon as the break hit and she saw she got a message, Minmei for the first time in a week felt some sort of hope. However, that hope faded quickly when she read the reply.

Angered beyond reason, she locked herself in her dressing room, opened up a bottle of whiskey and started drinking it down like it was water. As she read over the reply, she started tapping her phone furiously. _You ungrateful bastard! How dare you toy with me and my emotions,_ she thought as she continued her diatribe via cellphone. _And as for you, Captain. RDF member or not, you're just a brazen slut. Give me five minutes alone with Rick and he'll forget all about you._ Taking one last swig from the bottle, she hit Send.

It was just then she heard the knock on the door. One of the underlings was checking up.

"Go away. I'll be out when I'm ready and not before!"

"But Miss Minmei..."

"Are you stupid or something? I said go the hell away!"

The underling's voice was replaced by Kyle. "Minmei, we need you out here. Now!"

"Go screw yourself, Kyle!"

With that the door burst open and a seething Kyle walked in. The intern had spilled the beans about the tickets to Rick and her note.

"What are you doing? Seriously, forget about that jackass and get back out there! You wanted to be famous and you have a golden opportunity to get back into the spotlight, in front of your hometown fans. Don't piss it all away over some idiot pilot who obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about you."

Minmei had heard enough. She reared back and slapped Kyle across the face, then turned to him and shouted, "It's always about what **you** want, Kyle. What about what **I** want? I'm going back to the hotel. We're done for today!"

Kyle, for once in his life, was speechless as Minmei charged past and left the backstage area.

Off to the side, Xamdar shook his head as witnessed the outburst. _This is definitely not good. Did I misread the signals?_

* * *

The night of the concert came to New Macross. The Macross Arena was sold out with fans from all over who were looking forward to the Voice of Freedom performing in front of her hometown for the first time in over two years. The authorities, however, knew that this would be a prime target for the Army of Righteousness to make a brazen political statement. Deciding to err swiftly on the side of caution, the arena was flanked by three Destroids courtesy of the RDF and every available member of the Macross Metro Police. Checkpoints greeted fans as they entered, and despite the longer than usual time to enter, the seating bowl filled rapidly.

One person that was expected to be there that wasn't was Rick Hunter. Instead, Rick was spending the evening shadowing the bridge crew for Macross Command worked. It was something he had seen from the other side of the TacNet, but, in the words of both Lisa and the Admiral, it would give him a preview of how to handle the same situations he saw in the cockpit from a different perspective.

Lisa had worked out a rotation for his rounds of shadowing. He would start the evening over with Kim, Vanessa, and Sammie in their enclave of Communications and Scanning. Later, it would be a turn with Claudia with Weapons, and finally with Lisa on the TacNet. Grabbing an empty chair, Rick settled in with a cup of coffee and watching the Trio in action.

It turned out to be a rather slow night as the Malcontents and the Army of Righteousness apparently had decided to take the night off. With it being all quiet for the time being, the attention of the Trio turned towards their visitor.

"So, Commander," Vanessa. "Thank you again for that drink at the Officer's Club last week."

"Remind me to never place a bet with you again," Rick responded with a chuckle. "Besides, you would think I would have known with all the signals being tossed around."

"You not picking up on something like that?" Kim responded. "That'd be like saying water is wet." The others started to laugh. Rick nodded, knowing he had walked into the comment and knowing the implication. _Yeah, I've been a bit dense about a few things_ , he thought as he looked towards the front of the bridge. _Maybe it's more of waiting for the right moment. I almost did last week until Khyron decided to go full terrorist. Thought I had a great opportunity a few nights ago too, but it just didn't seem like the right time._

"So, Rick," Sammie decided to ask. "Surprised you're not at the big Minmei concert tonight."

"What? Pass up an opportunity to hang out with the Trio and go see the same songs that were kind of good three or four years ago? It was an easy call."

The three turned towards him with a surprised look on their face. Rick could see Kim looking over at the front and whispering something to Vanessa, who in turn shot her a look, then started to giggle.

Kim turned back towards Rick. "Heard on the radio driving in this afternoon that some guy named Napier donated two front row tickets and backstage passes for the show tonight. Ended up raising nearly fifteen thousand for the Star Saver fund."

"Classy thing for him to do," Vanessa added. "The families will definitely appreciate it."

Rick sat back and smiled. "I think I may have some insight as to our mysterious Mr. Napier may be. Kim, go ahead and Google 'The Joker'."

Punching it up, Kim saw an article on the back story of the famous comic book villain. Reading down, she noticed something and looked over at Rick, noting his call-sign.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Rick nodded. "Minmei had sent them over as a peace offering slash enticement after the whole mess with Edwards and me nearly kicking Kyle's ass."

"The Captain told me what he said," Sammie chimed in. "I don't think any of us would have blamed you for going ahead and knocking his teeth in."

"Hell, the Captain nearly let me do it," Rick added with a laugh. "Anyway, I found the tickets and backstage passes on my front step. There was also a key to a hotel room and a note that detailed what exactly she intended to do to me in the hotel room after the show. Read like an awful porno. Didn't even think twice of passing it up."

The three looked at Rick and then over at Lisa and nodded among each other. Sammie looked down at her monitor. "Looks like the concert's about to start."

* * *

At the arena, Kyle was in a panic. He had just gone to check on Minmei and found her in a state of inebriation that even made his well-worn liver shudder in fear and sympathy. _Of all the things,_ he thought. _She had insisted on peeking out in front to see if that jackass Hunter was there. I told her it was a bad idea to send the tickets to him. Of course, she never decided to listen and went and did it anyways. All it got her was a heavy dose of disappointment._ In the seats that Rick had been given were two rather corpulent Zentraedi wearing Minmei t-shirts.

 _Then after that shock to the system, what does she go and do? Chugs a bottle of Jameson because the warmonger decided to give the tickets away instead._ He paced around by the dressing room, wondering what sort of miracle was going to save the Comeback.

It was then that one of the major promoters walked over.

"What the hell is with the delay, Kyle? MBS is getting antsy as this is going out live! Get her out there!"

"In a minute, Robbie. She's just finishing getting ready."

Behind the door, an audible retching sound could be heard.

"Getting ready, Kyle? Sounds like Minmei's puking her guts out. She back on the sauce?"

Kyle shook his head. "Nope. Just some bad shrimp earlier. Look, she'll be fine, trust me." Pushing past the promoter, he entered the dressing room and shut the door. He looked towards the bathroom and saw Minmei on all fours, hugging the toilet. She looked up at him.

"I can't do this, Kyle. I can't," she said as tears started to well and fall.

"You have to. It's our big chance!"

"Well, tell my heart to stop breaking! I can't do this! Not like this!"

Kyle had a stern look about him. "Shut up and sing, Minmei. Otherwise, kiss your career goodbye."

Resigned to her fate, she rose from the floor and swayed towards the makeup table. Redoing her makeup to hide the puffiness of her eyes, the tear streaks on her face, and the pale look she had after vomiting, she took a deep breath and made her way towards the door and the stage.

* * *

As the night went on, Rick moved around to other stations, eventually moving over to the TacNet and shadowing Lisa. It had been, for the most part, an uneventful evening. The only constant was smaller screens at consoles were tuned in to the Minmei concert.

What was witnessed was a show that would be remembered, not for the performances, but for the ending.

After what one critic would write later was a subpar performance, the night was scheduled to wrap up with her two biggest hits back to back, My Boyfriend Is A Pilot and To Be In Love. However, Minmei would throw things for a loop by deciding to cut those songs and finish with a brief speech.

As the first bars of My Boyfriend Is A Pilot started, she held up her hand and said, "Hold it. Hold it."

The song stopped as soon as it had started. She then looked out at the shocked audience.

"I'm sorry. There are some songs that I've decided I won't sing anymore. That was one of them. The other is the scheduled last song of the night. It's hard to sing about love when your heart is breaking. I'm sorry, but I can't go on. Not right now."

With that, she dropped the microphone and ran offstage.

All across New Macross, viewers were stunned by what they saw. The fans in the arena began chanting for refunds or worse.

On the bridge at Command, Lisa and Rick witnessed the meltdown with a sense of shock and a twinge of pity, totally caught off-guard at the events.

* * *

In the command area of his ship, Khyron had decided to watch this 'concert' to see if anything would come about. What he saw not only mystified him, but also enraged him. He turned to Azonia, who was sitting next to him.

"I take it that was not part of the plan, Khyron?"

Khyron could only glare at the viewscreen in front of him. "Xamdar has one chance to salvage something out of this debacle before he is terminated. If he misread these emotions of these Micronians, we are further behind than we thought. I will be in touch with him later."

* * *

As the limo sped away, Xamdar turned to the lone occupant. "Where to, Miss Minmei."

"The Celeron."

"You sure you don't want to go to the White Dragon?"

"Not right now. I need to think some things over. Also, Xamdar, if Kyle comes, please keep him away. He's the last person I want to see right now."

"I think I can arrange that," he said with a smirk. _Guess I do get to make you expendable after all, Sot._

"I just want to be alone for a while."

 _That will work out fine, Sorceress,_ Xamdar thought as he drove towards the hotel in question. _I might just be able to salvage something out of this disaster._


	19. Full Court Press

_**A/N** \- I gotta give credit where it's due here and thank theGhostflyer for planting a seed of an idea that blossomed in this chapter. I went sort of in the direction of one of the OneShots that was posted a while back and, well, you'll see._

On to the reviews:

 **sscaldwe** \- Desperate times call for desperate measures, especially for someone who's always used to getting their own way like Minmei is. Well, I will say the next two or three chapters will not be very pleasant for our resident Pop-Tart. The thing with the tickets was a totally Rick thing to do in this story. He makes everyone (well, outside of Minmei) happy. Lisa doesn't have to get dragged to a Minmei show, the Star Saver Fund got a load of cash, and two Zentraedi got a chance to have front row seats. As for the note, well, yeah, you'll see ;). Thanks! I figured for the Skulls, Rick's got a bit of his youth into it. "Nightwing" just worked for Max, "Deadpool" was a perfect fit for Miriya. Also, nods to Futurama and The Goonies too for Amelia (Nibbler) and Ben (Sloth) lol. Yeah, had to get that one in there as well as it just kinda worked. Not a problem! Between that and the collab Ch. 20 of the OneShots, we just seem to mesh well. As for Baker, prepare for more goodness from him coming up and also more of Career Suicide 101 taught by Dr. Lynn Minmei lol.

 **theGhostflyer** \- You knew she wasn't going to go away quietly. And about that little story, wow lol. Kinda tops my revenge pics with a very attractive friend sitting on the glass at a Bruins game after my ex dumped me, leaving me with some cash I had socked away for a weekend getaway. Figured I'd get something out of it lol. Oh, Kyle's comeuppance is coming really soon. It will be satisfying for sure. As for Xamdar, he's a resourceful little SOB, so I think he's not quite totally screwed yet. And yeah, Khyron knows if he can't throw Hunter off, he's got a major threat to deal with if he wants the SDF-1. And for that other thing, lets just say events have not been too kind on that front.

Sadly, my old man passed on 2 years ago, but I did put a kind word in when I stopped by. And my AF buddy got a good laugh out of that.

As for that oneshot, it turned out great as did the other one lol. Also, saw what ya did in Mars Alight too lol.

 _ **Shameless Plug Time** \- speaking of that, if you haven't checked in on Ghost's Mars Alight, DO IT! Probably one of the best stories I've read in quite a while. Great action, drama, some laughs, some moments when the room'll get dusty, and some good ol' fashioned fluff. It doesn't disappoint!_

On to the next installment. Bonus points for those who can pick out the three movies referenced...

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen – Full Court Press**

As the holiday season descended on the residents of New Macross, many had much to be thankful and grateful for. The city itself was decked out for the occasion with Christmas decorations on full display in the stores and on the streets. In the city's main square, a large tree dominated the snow-covered park. Even the RDF themselves got into the holiday spirit, decorating the SDF-1 with lights as their own makeshift tree.

On the base complex itself, despite the decorations and snow, it was business as usual for the men and women stationed there. Over by the wing where the Air Defense Force called home, the office used by the commander of Skull Squadron was a buzz of activity. Inside, Commander Rick Hunter and Lieutenant Commander Tom Wilcox were going over some paperwork, determining how to rebuild their two squadrons. The academy at Monument had sent over files on all the graduating cadets from the air wing. Assignment at Macross was looked as an honor, with a posting with the Skulls seen as the ultimate.

"This guy doesn't look too bad," Wilcox said with a smile as he looked over a file. "Good scores on his exams, checked out pretty good on the sim too from what the instructors said."

"Only problem is that he got into a scrap off campus two weeks before graduation," Rick added.

"How's that a problem? Guy shows he can hold his own."

"Tom, he decked a guy dressed as a talking snowman at a kid's sixth birthday party. Some of those kids are going to be in therapy for quite a while."

"We've all made mistakes."

Rick sighed and reached for a slice of pizza sitting nearby. "I'm not gonna put a claim in on the guy, so if you want him for Rapier, be my guest."

Wilcox nodded and smiled with approval. Taking a long drink from a bottle of water nearby, he placed the file in a pile with the others he would be assigned. Grabbing the next one, he scowled quickly. "Dunno about this one. Smart kid, but the sim scores are, yikes." Wilcox quickly tossed the file over on a pile in the middle of the table, meaning the cadet would probably be calling another squad home.

Rick nodded while leafing through another file. "She's got some possibilities. Great sim scores, did pretty well in class and on the exam." He placed the file on a small pile near his desk and got up to walk around a bit. Taking a look outside, he could see it was snowing lightly across the expanse of the sprawling base. Over by the lake, the SDF-1 dominated the view. _At least they decided on just plain white lights this year,_ Rick thought.

"Probably the last Christmas we see the Old Lady, Rick," Wilcox stated. Over next to the lit-up SDF-1, the SDF-2 was taking form as a significantly bigger version of the SDF-1. "If the scuttlebutt is true, the Deuce should be ready by the spring."

"Then its off to the great wide expanses of space yet again," Rick sighed. "You get your paperwork in yet?"

Wilcox shook his head. "Leaning against it, to be brutally honest. The last trip wasn't exactly the most memorable. Plus, Gloval's already said he's staying here. And seeing you're going, I figure he'll need a good CAG here to mind the farm."

"Well, you'd be the most senior one left, seeing Max and Ben already have committed to the Deuce. Would make sense," Rick smiled. "I'd at least know things would be in good hands here."

Wilcox smiled and saluted. "So, I guess that's an endorsement?"

"Yeah. Just don't go changing the furniture quite yet, Tom. We're not shipping out for a few more months," Rick added with a laugh.

"So, did Captain Hayes have something to do with your application for the Deuce?"

"Could say that," Rick mused. He had been spending more and more time with Lisa, both on the base and away. "I think she would have been surprised if I didn't."

"She's nuts about you, Hunter. It's not that hard to tell"

"That's probably the worst kept secret on this base," Rick said with a smile.

"And I'd be dumber than a rock if the feeling wasn't mutual, and Mama Wilcox didn't raise no dummy."

Rick could only nod. He had conceded that he knew he was feeling the same way towards her a while ago. "I kinda needed to get my act together first." _That and take care of one rather large loose end,_ he added silently.

 _Hopefully when I get a chance to ask tonight, everyone behaves themselves and decides not to cause some sort of issue_ , he pondered, thinking of two earlier chances he had wanted to take that next step, only for events to interrupt things.

A knock sounded at the door. _Speaking of interruptions,_ Rick thought as he made his way towards the front. Opening the office door, he saw Max and Ben standing in front.

"Weren't you two supposed to be running the sims today?"

"We finished early," Max said with a somewhat annoyed tone.

Rick shook his head. "Somehow, I have a feeling something happened that is probably going to piss me off. Go ahead."

"Someone decided to load in a custom program into the sim and crashed it, hard," Ben replied.

A feeling of dread came over Rick. "Do I even have to ask **who** at this point?"

"I told Baker it was a bad idea," Ben said. "But does he listen? Nope. Loaded it in and the next thing, half of the pods in the sim started acting like they were a Tilt-A-Whirl on steroids"

Rick stared up at the sky, hands balling into fists. _I'm going to kill him, and there's no way a court martial would convict me._

"The other half were going up and down like crazed yo-yo's," Max added. "It was a God-awful mess."

"Anyone that was in a pod was bazooka barfing," Ben recalled. "Not the weak stuff either. The Grade-A, industrial strength.."

"I get your point," Rick said, feeling his stomach making like the sim pods and dreading the incident report he'd have to send over to Lisa after this latest stunt. _Then again, she'd read it, call me up to her office, and then joke that it was revenge for how I was when I started,_ he thought.

Rick sighed. "So, I can pretty much guess what Sergeant Baker is doing at this moment?"

"If you said, 'cleaning the pods with a toothbrush', you win, Rick," Max stated.

From the back of the room, Rick could hear Wilcox doubled over in laughter at the episode. "You know, Tom," he said. "I can always re-assign Baker to you."

The laughter stopped.

"Well, seeing we now have the rest of our day free," Max stated. "Mind if we stay here for a bit? Miriya and Amelia are going somewhere with the Captain and Lieutenant Grant. Something about a working lunch at some new place downtown."

"Sure, wouldn't mind your input about some of these new recruits," Rick added with a smile.

* * *

In the downtown area of New Macross, life had started to return to normal after the bombing of Poston's a few weeks prior. Deciding a break was needed from the humdrum of the routine at Command, Lisa decided to invite Miriya, Claudia, and Amelia to hit downtown and do a little window shopping and grab a bite to eat.

The four stopped in front of a jewelry store, looking over some of the merchandise.

"Guessing you're getting ideas for Christmas gifts, huh?" Claudia mused as Amelia, Lisa, and Miriya looked intently at what was displayed.

The others nodded as they kept on looking, taking mental notes as to how to drop hints as to what they wanted under the tree.

Lisa spied a pair of silver earrings with a sizable emerald-colored stone set to look like a heart. _They're perfect!_ , she thought. It was then that she saw the tag next to the earrings said "sold". _Looks like someone beat Rick to the punch,_ she thought with a sigh.

Amelia and Claudia both noticed this and smiled, with Claudia giving the younger pilot a knowing wink. _Looks like my little brother hit it out of the park,_ she thought. Rick had told Claudia of the gift a few days prior. Amelia, to her credit, caught the wink and nodded back. _Have to admit, the Boss has good taste. Hope it rubs off on Ben a bit,_ she mused.

Miriya was looking more towards the men's fare and saw something that caught her attention. _The blue of that gem matches Maximillian's hair and eyes perfectly. That chronometer would be a perfect gift for this holiday._

* * *

After a few more minutes, the group decided to move on up the street towards the restaurant district of the downtown. As the group moved on, the four never noticed the dark sedan that was following them. One of the men in the car pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number.

"Sir, we have the target. They are heading to the north and west, up the main boulevard."

"Excellent," the voice on the other end crackled. "Don't lose sight of them. Track them to their location and then notify me."

"Yes, sir." With that, he shut the phone and turned to his counterpart. "Drive. And make it look inconspicuous."

The other man nodded and blended into the traffic, keeping close enough tabs on the group.

* * *

"Well, we're here," Lisa announced as they walked inside. The choice for lunch was a newer bistro close to the downtown square called The Roundellette. Priding themselves as one of the leaders of what the papers called the "New Macross Cuisine," the little restaurant had become the in place to go. The four officers were met at the door by one of the owners, a smaller man named Armand, who acted as the maitre'd of the place.

" _Madames, Bienvenue a la Roundellette!_ How many today?"

Amelia stepped forward. _"Merci, Monsieur. Quatre, s'il vous plait."_

Armand smiled. _"_ _Êtes-vous française, mademoiselle?_ _"_

" _Ah non. Ma m_ _è_ _re_ _é_ _tait Quebecois."_

A classic Gallic shrug followed. _"Personne n'est parfait._ This way, _madames._ "

Miriya looked at Amelia with a bit of puzzlement. "Was that some sort of special code so we could get in to this dining hall?"

A sharp laugh came from the other pilot. "No, Mir. I was just speaking in French with the maitre'd. Figured I'd try to make him feel at home."

"Not all 'Micronians' speak the same language planet-wide," Lisa added. She then turned to Amelia. "Didn't know that about you. Interesting accent."

"My mom grew up outside of Montreal. Dad grew up on the South Side of Philadelphia. They met during the Civil War," Amelia said. "I may have my mom's looks and knowledge of the French language, but I have my dad's temper. Ben jokes that I can go from zero to Philly in 2.3 seconds."

"I've seen this temper," Miriya commented. "It's almost on a par with mine. Maximillian will not even cringe going into battle, but he recoils if he sees me angry."

Claudia smiled at this, and then decided to add in to the conversation. "To be honest, for scary tempers, look no further than the Captain. I heard Lynn Kyle felt the Wrath Of Hayes when they came on base."

Lisa felt herself blushing. Miriya and Amelia both looked over and nodded. "We've seen and heard the stories of the TacNet. Especially when the Boss or Plankton are acting up," Amelia threw in. "Although it seems to be more Baker that's getting more of the brunt of it lately."

Amelia felt her phone vibrate. She looked and saw it was a text from Ben. Reading it, she sighed and started to laugh. "Captain, you're gonna love this one.."

Lisa interrupted Amelia. "Amelia, first thing, we're off base. Second, we're technically not on duty. And I'm good friends with Ben. You can call me Lisa, you know."

"Sorry ma..I mean Lisa. Force of habit. Anyhow, that was Ben. Seems you'll have a chance to yell at Baker again soon."

"What did he do now?"

"Created a custom program for the sim that ended up turning the sim pods into a carnival ride for the deepest pits of Hell. He's currently cleaning all the pods with a toothbrush on orders from Lieutenant Sterling."

Lisa held her head in her hands in a classic facepalm pose.

 _Good Lord, he_ _ **is**_ _Rick Hunter Junior,_ she thought, remembering a stunt Rick had pulled early in his RDF career. _At least Rick's attempt at a sim program was just off the charts hard, not nightmare inducing terror._

Claudia was about to chime in with a stunt from Roy's past that would have put both Baker and Rick to shame when she noticed a bit of a commotion up front by the entrance. She tapped Lisa on the shoulder and gestured towards the front. "If that's who I think that is, this day just went downhill. Rapidly."

* * *

"I'm sorry Miss, but we do not keep tables on permanent reserve." Armand could feel his exasperation at this absurd situation rising. Standing in front of him was a clearly agitated and possibly inebriated Minmei, glaring over at the table the four RDF officers were sitting at.

"But that's **my** table, Armand. Besides, who put you on the map? Clear those whores out of there!"

"I would say my head chef, _madame_ ," he replied with a bit of acidity behind the last word. "And, no, they're not leaving. They had reservations."

"Fine, I'll do it myself. Out of the way!" With that, she pushed past the stunned Armand, who now found himself dealing with an apologetic aide.

* * *

The four at the table looked over at the commotion and then saw the black haired singer storming towards them.

 _Well, today just became a circus,_ Lisa thought. _To kind of borrow a line from that one movie my Dad loved, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life._

Amelia looked over with a look of anger. _Yeah, Ben jokes about that zero to Philly thing, but it's real and if this bitch comes looking to start things, it's going to get about as bad as your last single was. 2.3 seconds is way too slow. Try about 0.4 with the Pop-Tart around._

 _Child, just walk away while you have your dignity intact,_ Claudia thought. _This is not going to end well at all._

 _And to think we feared her,_ Miriya mused. _Whatever attraction the Commander had for her was surely misguided. Thank the stars he's come to his senses on that._

* * *

The two men in the dark sedan had parked across the street from the restaurant and were still sitting there, appearing to be casing the building.

"No real security there at all," the driver said.

The passenger nodded. "Indeed. I just saw the commander arrive a few minutes ago with the Sorceress. She's in another state of inebriation."

"The Sorceress is not the target on this operation. The one in white in that group of four females that entered earlier. _She's_ the target."

"And what of the traitor Parina? I saw she was in the group as well."

"I believe Lady Azonia wanted her to suffer," chimed in another voice.

"Ah, Commander. Didn't notice you slipping out. My guess the Micronians didn't either," the driver said with a smile.

"No. The Sorceress is in one of her states of inebriation and saw our target. It will make for a great distraction," Xamdar clicked on his phone and brought up a picture of Lisa. "This is Captain Lisa Hayes of the RDF. She is not to be harmed in any way. She's our bargaining chip."

"You mean, our initial intelligence assessment was.."

"Wrong? Apparently. It seems Commander Hunter has, as the Micronians put it, moved on. The Sorceress Minmei is no longer the object of his affections. This Micronian woman seems to be the new focus. We get to her, we get him."

"Have you informed Lord Khyron of this development?"

"I did two weeks ago when I heard the Sorceress going on a drunken tirade about her. Lord Khyron pulled all the files we had in the archives on her. We should have seen this much earlier than we did. It seems even Dolza himself was aware of this connection between Hunter and Hayes."

The two Zentraedi in the car nodded.

"No matter. Everything is in place. Get the men in position. I will give you the signal. Once the men are in, the group and the Sorceress are to be kept alive until their usefulness is no longer apparent. Hayes is the last of the group that will be executed."

"And the other Micronians in that establishment?"

"Let the men have some target practice. They will probably need it," Xamdar added with a cold smile.

* * *

 _Of all the people to be here in this place,_ _ **she'd**_ _have to show up,_ Minmei thought as she weaved towards the table that focused her anger. _This Hayes bitch had better back off. Rick is_ _ **mine**_ _and mine alone. Time to stake my claim and tell her that messing with me is not a good idea. Just ask Jan Morris how that turned out._

As she arrived at the table in question, a deathly quiet filled the room. For a brief time, the four at the table stared at their uninvited guest with a mixture of anger, disdain, and in the case of Claudia, pity. Minmei took in the less than appreciative looks with an air of indifference. She then glanced over at the four and smiled.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," Minmei said with as much glee as a child being told it was bedtime. "Of all the people to run into in this fine establishment but the military Barbie doll herself, Captain Hayes."

Amelia and Miriya both turned towards the well-lubricated pop star with looks that would have even made Khyron think twice before proceeding further. Claudia just shook her head, knowing that Minmei was playing with fire. However, the focus of Minmei's ire sat back in her chair, resting her head against her hand, a bemused look on her face. _Yep, definitely drunk and stupid,_ Lisa thought.

Minmei was a bit shocked by Lisa's reaction, or lack of it. _She's not biting. Time to raise the stakes a bit._ "Tell me, Captain," she said with a bit of venom behind the last word. "What is that hold you have over Rick? Can't be looks. Old decrepit ladies with cobwebs down there aren't his type."

Miriya's expression changed to pure anger. Just as she was about to get out of her chair to commit some form of bodily harm to the much smaller woman, a hand came to rest on her shoulder, easing her down. She turned towards the direction of this and saw it was Lisa, who had a bit of a smirk on her face. _She has more patience than I thought,_ Miriya thought. _If I were in her position, we would be calling Lynn Kyle to identify the blood smear on the floor._

Lisa took stock of the others at the table. Amelia was about ready to join Miriya in what her dad would have called "a typical Flyers welcome" to the diva. A barely audible _"putain chinoise"_ escaped the younger woman's lips. Turning her attention to Claudia, Lisa could tell her even keeled friend was in no mood to stop the others of their party from resorting to violence. Then, it was on to the visitor. Lisa was discovering that not reacting was having more of a desired effect than expected.

Minmei was stunned that there was still no reaction from her rival. _I need to get a reaction, need to know I've gotten to her._ She thought for a second and she silently nodded to herself. _Yes, this should be able to get my point across._

"Hmmm. Maybe it's fear. I mean, you nearly killed him once before and all. If you supposedly care about someone, you don't hurt them like that. Really odd way to show that kind of affection, don't you think? That's something he'd never have to worry about with me. Face it, I'm younger, prettier, better in the sack, and not homicidal. You'll never win, Captain. Might as well just go buy a six pack of kittens now so you can have some company."

Lisa looked over at the younger woman. She sat back for a second, smiled and said, "Are you done?"

A dumbfounded look came across Minmei. Lisa saw it and knew she had made her mark. _Play with fire and you usually get burned, pop-tart. Time to turn up the heat,_ she thought as she stood up. Straightening her uniform jacket and skirt, she calmly walked towards her intended target.

"OK, I get it. You don't like me. Believe me, the feeling is more than mutual, bitch. However, where were you when Commander Fokker was killed in action? Funny, didn't see you in Rick's hospital room breaking that news. Sure didn't see you being the one he latched on to as he wept knowing his family was gone."

"How dare you. I.."

Lisa turned with a look that both Amelia and Miriya had seen before over the TacNet. They knew the look usually meant someone, either Rick or Baker, were about to get chewed out.

"When the hell did I give **any** indication I was done talking, Pop-Tart?"

Silence followed.

"Now, where was I before Sally McStreetwalker here decided to interrupt? Oh yes, the last two years. Did you even bother trying to contact him or was that sagging career too important than someone you supposedly cared about? So don't lecture me about hurting anyone, seeing you've been doing a bang up job of it for the last three years plus. Kind of outweighs one incident."

"You didn't see us on the Observation Deck of the SDF-1," Minmei retorted. "Right before the big battle. My songs led the way to victory, or did you forget that?"

Lisa glared at her opponent. "I'm sorry, I was kinda busy saving your ass and all, seeing I ordered the cannon blast that vaped a reflex missile that was ticketed for the exact location you were singing from. Guess that means you kinda owe me. And besides, you didn't see what happened _after_ the battle ended," tacking on a smirk for added effect. The look on Minmei's face told the story as she glared back. _Right on target._ _Now, time to hit again while they're reeling._

"And as using fear as a hold over someone? I think your cousin's got that under wraps. Then again, the only things that get scared around him are full bottles of whiskey or scotch. And the way he just hovers over you. Maybe Rick was right about the part of China you two came from. I was shocked you didn't have banjos playing during that concert."

Minmei's eyes went wide at what was being implied. It was then she noticed Lisa reaching into her pocket.

Lisa gave a knowing smile. _Time for the kill shot,_ she thought as she pulled out a piece of paper.

"Very interesting read for a crappy porno. Have to admit, you thought of a few things I've never heard of before. Had to Google some of them, but I think with a little extra time at the gym, I could pull these off."

"That wasn't meant for you, whore."

"You're also the second dumbest person in your family behind that loudmouth cousin of yours," Lisa shot back. "You're lucky Rick isn't the kind of person who would give this to the press. And you're very lucky I'm the same way. Even though they would have a field day with this, you did enough embarrassing of yourself at your concert last month. Why kick a corpse?"

Lisa took a step closer. _Game, set, and match, Minmei._

She leaned closer to Minmei and whispered, "This is the part where you turn around and walk away."

Knowing the odds were stacked against her, Minmei turned around and stalked off, but not before attempting to leave with a parting shot. "You messed with the wrong woman, bitch. He'll come back to me, just watch."

Lisa tried not to laugh. "Highly doubtful, but keep dreaming that dream. Bye!"

The others started applauding their friend as the now-humiliated Minmei made her way to the exit.

* * *

As she reached the front, she glared at Armand and spat out, "I won't be coming back here."

Armand shrugged. "Good. Watch me not care. _Au revoir, putain."_

Fuming even more, Minmei turned to Xamdar. "Get the car, it's time to leave. There's a new Japanese place that just opened down on Tucker."

Xamdar stopped and tapped his earpiece, saying two words. "It's time," then turned towards Minmei.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We're staying here."

"Xamdar, have you lost your damn mind. I said we leave."

At this moment, he reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a pistol, pointing it in the face of Minmei.

"We stay. My friends are coming," he added with a smile.

* * *

Two vans pulled up out in front of the restaurant and swung their doors open. Out from the sides and back came men dressed in brown with ski masks and brandishing vintage AK-47s. The strike force poured through the front doors and fanned out through the restaurant. A few surrounded the table where the four RDF officers were sitting.

 _Of all the days to leave my pistol in my office,_ Lisa thought. Realizing that the odds were currently stacked against them, she wisely put up her hands as the men grabbed the cellphones from the others. The one that had Lisa's tossed it over to another man, who currently had Minmei by the arm and was holding a pistol to her.

Catching the phone, he smiled.

"I believe we have yet to meet, Captain Hayes. I am Xamdar, valet for the Lynns and also the commander of the Army of Righteousness. You and your friends are our guests. However, I warn all of you not to do anything rash. It would be a bad way to end a nice meal, would it not?"

* * *

Ben was transfixed by the TV as it was airing live coverage from downtown. He listened as the reporter droned on.

 _"We're live in the Common Square section of Downtown New Macross as we have a developing hostage situation. About ten minutes ago, two vans pulled up to the restaurant behind me, called The Roundellette..."_

"Hey, guys!"

Rick and Max turned towards the commotion on the screen in front of them.

"Wasn't that the...," Max started.

"You bet your ass it was," Rick snarled.

The three pilots made their way to the door of the office and out into the hallway, a look of murderous intent painted on their faces.


	20. Aggressive Negotiations

_**A/N** \- This would have been up a lot earlier tonight if not for a small football game on this evening. For the delay, blame the Atlanta Falcons for forgetting how to play defense in the 4th Quarter and letting Tom Brady and the Pats unleash one of the greatest comebacks I've ever seen._

Reviews to tap into first:

 **jag389** \- I figured everyone would like that. And yeah, the Zents don't know any better. They've unleashed some really bad things now.

 **Adena McGee** \- He's quite evil like that. And yeah, getting on the bad side of three members of Skull Squadron is not conducive to a long life span.

 **theGhostflyer** \- You got one lol. Animal House was correct with the drunk and stupid being no way to go through life quip. The others were The Hunt For Red October (Ben's puke reference) and Shrek (the whispering of "this is the part where you leave/run away"). Yeah, Rick's been trying, but events just conspire against our guy here. I think it's not going to be much of a problem for much longer though. The Minmei scene just played out nicely in how things were going. And thanks! Had to give the credit where it was due. I had to think they'd have figured out this was the way things were going.

No worries, I really didn't mention that at all, so it's OK. And yeah, he got a good laugh out of it.

* * *

This one's a long one. And two major antagonists get their comeuppance in a big way...

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty – Aggressive Negotiations**

Inside of his office at Macross Command, Admiral Henry Gloval sat back at his desk watching the events going on in the Downtown of New Macross unfold. _These hooligans had been too quiet,_ he thought as the MBS reporter was giving an update on the current status of the situation. From what he had been able to pick up on from the report, it had all the hallmarks of an attack by the Army of Righteousness. _Now they want to resume their madness, no doubt with some prompting by Khyron,_ he mused as he reached into a container and filled his pipe with his favorite tobacco blend.

Lighting the pipe and taking a long puff, he kept watching. _Knowing that madman,_ he thought as took a deep breath. _A small act like this usually means he has something else up his sleeve. Well, I think Macross Metro can handle it. It's not like any of our people are involved._ It was just then he heard a buzz at his desk. _Sounds like Monument caught wind of it,_ he thought as he tapped the speaker button.

"Admiral, I have Commander Hunter, Lieutenant Sterling, and Lieutenant Dixon outside. They want to see you. It's about the situation downtown."

 _Well, more like my best squadron caught wind of it,_ he thought. "Send them in."

Shortly, Rick, Max, and Ben were all in the Admiral's office. Studying the three pilots, Gloval noticed that two things were readily apparent. All three had a look of deep concern regarding the recent events and, more importantly, all three had a look of abject anger at the situation.

"So, I guess this is about what is on the news," Gloval stated. "Right now, it appears it would not involve us. But, seeing you three decided to pay me a visit, I would tend to think that this fact is about to change."

Rick nodded, "Sir, right now, from what I've been told, there are RDF personnel there. Namely two pilots from Skull."

Gloval nodded, "I'm guessing the pilots are Sergeant Niebauer and Second Lieutenant Sterling by the presence of Dixon and Sterling here."

Ben and Max both nodded.

"And I'm guessing, Commander, you're not here just as moral support for your two best friends?"

Rick took a deep breath before proceeding. "Sir, Lieutenant Grant and Captain Hayes are there as well. The four of them were heading there for lunch."

Gloval put his pipe down and got up from his chair. "I would say that would definitely involve the RDF at this point. I don't think the MMPD are going to like us stepping in, but seeing our people are there, I don't think they'll have much of a choice."

He reached over to the phone and tapped in an extension. "Major, Admiral Gloval. You may want to drop whatever plans you and your men have. We have a situation."

* * *

A sense of quiet terror had come over the inside of The Roundellette as the Army of Righteousness commandos had swept through the dining area and kitchen, making sure none of the patrons and employees either tried to escape or tried to play hero. Off to one side, a few of the commandos stood around one table with their weapons prominently on display. At this particular table were with four women in RDF uniforms and another young woman in a expensive, yet trashy, dress. Also sitting with them was a confidently smiling man in a dark gray suit, holding on to a cellphone in one hand.

The man looked over the assembled party at the table and nodded with a sinister grin on his face. "My master will be quite pleased with this. It has gone better than imagined."

One of the women, a brunette in a light blue uniform scowled at the man. "You know you're not going to get away with this. When the base finds out about this, they're going to be bringing everything they have to bring us back."

The man started to laugh. "Who says getting away was my goal?"

The woman that was not in uniform gave a glare to the man. "And to think Kyle and I trusted you, Xamdar. Why?"

"Why, Miss Minmei?," Xamdar stated. "Simple. My master wanted to get back at you Micronians for winning in the first place. What better way to do it by capturing the one weapon that turned the tide of the battle? If you were that important, the Micronian authorites would have spared no expense to get you back. And they did, which my master more than anticipated."

Miriya gave a hard look over at Xamdar. "Your master is a lunatic."

Xamdar returned the look in kind. "Ah, the traitor speaks. Parina, I'd be very quiet if I were you. I have orders from Azonia herself to make your last moments alive as unpleasant as possible." He then rose from his seat and continued.

"What my master did not anticipate, though, was a change in plans. We always assumed that Commander Hunter would do anything to rescue Miss Minmei here. And it did play out to form with the rescue attempt."

"He only went because he was ordered," Amelia added. "Not out of any loyalties to this selfish bitch you've lumped with us. Said so himself before we even left base."

Xamdar nodded. "We found out about that as well after the fact. It seems our intelligence was wrong. Commander Hunter's loyalties lie in a different area." He looked towards Lisa. "Just like the warehouse, it will be his downfall."

Lisa glared back at the Zentraedi. "More like your downfall. And your master's too."

"I'll borrow something you said earlier, Captain," Xamdar responded with a sly grin. "Keep dreaming that dream. Today is your last day of existing." He picked up the cellphone and looked in the contacts. Finding the one he wanted, he tapped the screen and turned to towards Lisa. "Excuse me, but I have a call to make."

* * *

Inside of Admiral Gloval's office, Rick, Max, and Ben were still watching the feed from MBS regarding the standoff at The Roundellette when Major Ortiz from the RDF's Special Operations branch walked in.

"Major, thank you for joining us," Gloval stated.

Ortiz saluted. "Guessing we're about to be a part of the welcoming committee for the AoR, sir?"

Gloval nodded. "The _neotesannyy_ bastards overreached this time. It appears some of ours are among the hostages."

Looking over at Rick, Ben, and Max, Ortiz started putting two and two together. "I'm also guessing the folks from the RDF they have are connected with Skull Squadron, Commander?"

Rick nodded. "Two of my pilots, Miriya Sterling and Amelia Niebauer, are there. Also, there's more to it than that."

"Go on."

"Lieutenant Grant and Captain Hayes were with them as well."

" _Madre a Dios_ ," Ortiz grumbled. "I'd say that'd get us involved pretty quickly." He then turned to the Admiral. "I'll scramble my team." He saluted and turned towards the three others in the room. "Commander, Lieutenants. I'll make sure they all come back in one piece."

As Ortiz left, Rick, Ben, and Max rose to leave with the Major. A loud "Ahem!" stopped all four in their tracks. Looking back, Admiral Gloval had risen up from his desk. "Commander Hunter, you and your men are staying here. There's not much you can do to assist on this one."

"Sir, with all due respect.."

The Admiral cut Rick off immediately. "Commander, you will stand down on this. Do I make myself clear?"

Rick fumed. He was about to retort when he felt his phone vibrate. Fishing it out of his pocket, he looked at the caller ID.

"Someone's calling on Lisa's cell."

Holding up his finger to his lips, he set the phone down on the table nearby and hit the speaker button.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Commander Hunter," the voice on the other side responded. "It's a pleasure to finally talk."

"Where's Captain Hayes and who the hell are you?"

"Now, now, Commander. May want to watch that temper of yours. Anyways, as to who I am, that's unimportant right now. And as for the Captain, well, I have someone that wants to talk to you."

A brief silence followed and then a familiar voice came over the phone.

"Rick?"

"Lisa! Are you okay?"

"I've been better. Miriya, Amelia, and Claudia are fine. Also, Minmei wandered in and wanted to say hi to us for some reason. Well, she's also caught up in this mess."

 _Wonderful,_ Rick thought. _It's like a family reunion gone wrong._

"Hang in there. Help is coming."

The phone was silent for a second before the male voice came back on. "Like my master, I was counting on that. Here's my one demand. You show up to this place in one standard hour. Alone. We'll go from there. Failure to meet this condition means termination for some of the hostages. And just to show we're serious, watch the video feed."

* * *

Xamdar cupped his hand over the phone and nodded to one of the commandos at the front. He grabbed Armand and walked him over to the front door.

"What are going to do, _cochon_ , shoot me?"

The commando smiled as he pushed the maitre'd to the ground, making him kneel in front. Xamdar walked over behind the man and placed the barrel of his pistol against his head. Holding the phone, he smiled and said. "Here's how serious we are, Commander."

Armand knew how things were about to play out. Deciding that begging for his life was not going to be of any effect on the man behind him, he decided that he would, in the words of his grandfather, die like a Frenchman. Shutting his eyes, he remembered something from his past.

 _"Allons, enfants de la Patrie. Le jour de gloire est arrivé! Contre nous, de la tyrannie. L'étendard sanglant est.."_

* * *

Rick heard a loud report go over the phone. On the TV, everyone saw as a man in a dark gray suit was standing over a man in a tuxedo lying prone with a large pool of blood expanding outwards from his head. The man in gray put the pistol back into his jacket and appeared to have a cellphone in his hand.

The voice came back over the phone. "One standard hour, Commander. Or the next one is wearing an RDF uniform." With that the phone went dead.

Rick looked over at the Admiral. The Admiral sighed. "Commander, consider my earlier order countermanded. Here are your orders. Bring our people back." A murderous look came over the face of Henry Gloval at that moment.

"And if you want to kill any and all of those _nekul'turnykh ublyudki_ , by all means feel free to do so. Captain Hayes is like a daughter to me and Lieutenant Grant is an indispensable member of my team on the bridge. And I know the value Niebauer and Miriya have for your counterparts. Plus, I know your feelings for all four of them, Commander."

Rick nodded and had a look of determination and anger on his face. "I won't need much encouragement to do so, sir." He then looked over at Ben and Max, whose expressions matched Rick's at the moment, and gestured to them to join with the Admiral and Major Ortiz.

Ortiz turned to the group behind him. "These guys aren't screwing around."

Rick had a look of cold determination. "Remember before Star Saver when I said this was business, not personal?" The others nodded. "Big Ugly just made this personal. For all of us." Rick then turned towards Ortiz.

"His little playmates are going to die. Preferably screaming if I have my way. Lieutenant Grant is family to me, and Captain Hayes," Rick paused for a second. "Captain Hayes is someone very special to me. If that big bastard is going to think he's going to win by this method, he just made a huge mistake."

Max looked at Rick. "You know I'm in on any plan to get them back home. They're not harming a hair on Mir's head. She may be one of the toughest beings I know, but they have no idea what they're about to unleash."

Ben nodded. "Same here, Boss. They have Nibs in there. They hurt her, it's going to get ugly. Real ugly."

Ortiz nodded. _I'm not totally up on the rumor mill on base,_ he thought. _But the talk of Hunter and Hayes being a thing has been going around. Guess the Commander cashed in and now I owe Parson twenty bucks._ Taking a deep breath, he looked over the three rather homicidal pilots and one rather irked Admiral. "Guess we're a go. I'll get my team together."

* * *

Within a few minutes, the Special Ops team for the RDF had assembled in a staging area nearby and were joined by Rick, Max, and Ben as they reviewed a layout of the location and the latest intel they had been able to get from the Macross Metro SWAT team already on-site.

"It appears, according to the SWAT guys there already, that they have about ten operatives in the building, which would match the numbers we have currently for the AoR's full strength," Ortiz noted as he looked over a viewscreen.

"Only ten guys? Shouldn't be too hard," cracked one of the Ops team, a man named Phil "Punisher" Kragen.

"Keep in mind, Punisher, we got some civvies in there. The count appears to be about fifteen total, counting staff. We were damn lucky it was a light day for them. if they had done this later on, it potentially could have been much worse."

"Actually, it's sixteen," Rick volunteered. "When their leader called over, he put Captain Hayes on the line, who related there's another high priority hostage too, namely Minmei."

"Great. We have to save her drunk ass too," muttered Punisher.

"Anyway," Ortiz continued. "Their top guy wants Commander Hunter and only Commander Hunter to make contact once we get on site. He's volunteered to go forward with this. But, he's not going in totally alone and we're not going in totally blind." He turned towards a box in front of him and pulled out some equipment. "This is the latest in our communications array from Engineering. It works on a totally different algorithm, at least that's Dr. Lang told me. And the camera is contained in a RDF insignia pin like we all wear on the uniforms. For a camera that's as tiny as it is, it's extremely powerful. The AoR should have a devil of a time trying to crack it. And the best part? Unless you're actually looking for it, it's pretty much undetectable."

Rick smiled. "I guess I'm the guinea pig to see if Dr. Lang's latest invention is a good one?"

Ortiz nodded. "It appears that way." He handed the box over to Rick and continued.

"Our goal is to get our people out, the civvies out, and keep RDF and civilian casualties to a bare minimum. As for those AoR _hijos de putas_ , well, as the Admiral told us, the less left breathing afterwords, the better. Time to load up, roll out, and make the magic happen."

The assembled black uniformed operatives made their way to the APV's parked outside and within minutes, were en route to the location.

* * *

Inside the restaurant, Xamdar observed the newest development on one of the TV's nearby. _Looks like they're preparing to escalate the situation,_ he thought. Taking a look over at the group at the table with him, he smiled briefly. _If they go against what I've requested, the tall one in the green uniform goes first, followed by the shorter one in the light blue. After that, Parina would be next, then the Sorceress, and then Captain Hayes._

"Why haven't they come in for us yet? What are they waiting for?" Minmei whined. The others shot her a look, but only one was willing to speak up.

"Because the goons with the guns behind us would shoot us and everyone else in here," Lisa answered somewhat calmly. "Besides, they requested a special negotiator if you remember correctly."

"Rick to the rescue again," Minmei said with a somewhat dreamy tone. "Maybe he'll realize all this killing isn't worth it and walk away after this. I'm sure I could convince him."

Lisa rolled her eyes. _It's more of living in a fantasy world at this point for her. The reality check is going to be a harsh one when it comes._

Amelia turned towards Miriya and whispered, "Think you could convince one of the guards to shoot her first? Maybe, when we make a break for it, we kinda shove her in front as a meat shield?"

"She is a civilian and she is a priority to keep alive," Miriya responded. "Even if I agree with you fully, Amelia."

* * *

As the main command APV for the RDF Special Ops team pulled into position, Rick could feel a sense of dread at what was about to transpire. He took a good look over at his two friends who had tagged along. Taking a deep breath, he nodded to them.

"I'm not gonna say, don't worry I got this. It's my first real time as a negotiator in one of these things. But, you know I'm gonna do my damndest to make sure they come home to you guys."

"I know, Rick," Max stated. "Do what you have to do, buddy."

Ben nodded. "Same goes for me, pal. And make sure the Captain and Lieutenant Grant get out of this too."

"That's the goal of the plan. As for the plan itself? Gonna have to wing it."

Over at the command array, Ortiz observed as the two strike teams took their places. "OK, Able and Baker are set. We have a track on the building and we should be getting some telemetries right about...now."

On the screen, a blueprint of the building came up. Eleven dots were in red, representing the hostiles. There were five green dots over in the back of the building, which appeared to represent the primary objectives. In the main area were another six green dots and five blue dots.

 _"¡Mierda!_ The bastards already iced five. That's also not counting the poor guy they capped earlier."

Rick scowled. "They're not screwing around, are they? Guess I should go on over and talk a little sense into these dumbasses."

Ortiz nodded. "Good luck, Joker. When you feel confident things are set, give the signal as we discussed. My guys will take care of the rest."

Rick nodded and saluted as he opened the door and started to make the walk over. Moving out from the cover of the vans and towards the blockade, he tapped his ear quickly to activate the mic and camera set that Ortiz had given to him.

"Testing one, two, three. This thing on?"

"Coming in loud and clear, Joker," Ortiz crackled back. "And we are looking live at The Rondellette, folks. You're patched in to the main feed. Able and Baker Teams will be able to hear you too. Once you give the go signal, they'll come in hard and swift."

"Roger that. If you're a praying man, Papi, put in a good word upstairs, will ya?"

* * *

One of the guards in the front of the restaurant had alerted Xamdar a minute earlier that there was activity coming from the other side of the street. Coming up to the doors, he could see a lone figure walking towards them. A second look confirmed it was a younger man with black hair in an RDF uniform making his way towards the location. _Ah, I would assume that's Commander Hunter,_ he thought. Looking back again, he smiled. _The pilot from New Detroit was him after all. I should thank him for the matrix before I kill him._

Xamdar turned towards one of the guards. "Allow him to enter and keep him here in the main room. I need to bring some acquaintances out for him to see." As he walked towards the back, he motioned to Midao. "Come with me. You will keep tabs on the others while Planka and I keep the Commander entertained."

"Understood, my friend. Any instructions?"

"Once there, you can go ahead and kill the one in green and the other, as they are of no use to us."

"And the traitor?"

"As for Parina, save her for last. Azonia wishes for her to suffer a bit more before we snuff out her flame."

Midao nodded. "As you command."

Arriving by the back table, Xamdar walked over to Lisa and grabbed her by the arm. "On your feet, Captain. You have a visitor." Turning to one of the other commandos he barked out an order. "Planka, grab the Sorceress and come with me. As for the others, well, Midao, they're in your care now."

Lisa glared at the man holding a pistol to her back. "You know you're about to die, right?"

"So says the being on the wrong end of the weapon. Walk, Captain."

Nearby, Planka had grabbed Minmei and dragged the whimpering woman to her feet. "Move!"

As they left, Midao motioned to Miriya, Claudia, and Amelia to get up. "This way," he stated as he moved the three towards the kitchen area.

* * *

Rick had arrived at the front of the restaurant and had been motioned to come on in by the guards. _Strange they didn't pat me down,_ he thought. _Oh well, this may have become a bit easier after all._ Once inside, one of the commandos motioned to him to head towards the back and a private area. Rick looked around and saw the other civilians cowering on the ground, all in different states of terror at the situation. Nearby, he saw a few of the unfortunate patrons and employees. _Single shots to the back of the head. Wonderful._ With a grim determination, he walked toward the area and was ushered in.

Inside the room, he saw Lisa and Minmei sitting on chairs, with two Zentraedi standing behind them, brandishing rifles. In front, he saw a man in dark gray suit who turned around with an evil grin.

"Ah, Commander Hunter. How nice of you to arrive."

"Spare me the pleasantries. I'm here and I see your captives are fine."

"For the moment. You'll be determining how that will play out going forward."

"And the others? Where are they?"

Xamdar smiled. "It appears they outlived their usefulness. They will be taken care of shortly."

Rick's face twisted in rage. "That would be a huge mistake. I will guarantee you don't walk out of here alive."

* * *

As Miriya, Claudia, and Amelia were being ushered into the kitchen, the three looked at each other and winked. Amelia looked over at the floor and tripped herself intentionally. Sprawling on the ground, she grumbled in pain and frustration. "Would love to find the guy who thought heels were part of the dress uniform," she spat out.

The guard was not impressed. "Get up."

The slight distraction was all Amelia needed, as she had a wicked smile on her face. Noting the hesitation, she had grabbed one of her shoes and sprung upward with a cry. She slammed the heel of the shoe against the man's neck, causing it to penetrate his jugular vein. With a look of shock and surprise, the man slumped to the ground, spewing blood all over the place.

Midao and the other guard were dumbstruck and this would prove to be a deadly mistake on their part. Claudia quickly spun around and caught her guard unaware. She slammed the palm of her hand directly into the nose of the guard, causing a fatal and messy injury. Miriya, for her part, got behind the one covering her in a flash. Before Midao could react, she twisted his neck quickly. A wet snap was followed by a short gurgle as he was dead before hitting the floor.

Amelia smiled as she surveyed the carnage in front of them. "Still prefer flats. But for once, I think I was happy to be in heels."

Miriya nodded. "Now I know why you and Dixon are companions. Always making humorous comments at the wrong time."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Stow it for now, you two! There's the exit, and let's leave quietly. No need to tip them off and get the others killed." She looked upwards and said quietly, _I'm counting on you, little brother. Get Lisa and Minmei out of this mess safely._

Grabbing the weapons, the three made their way to one of the emergency exits and safety.

* * *

Back in the command van, Ortiz heard some chatter from Baker Team. "Caterer, this is Baker Team. It looks like one of the back doors is opening up. Yes! It's Grant, Sterling, and Niebauer!"

"Best news I've heard all day! Get them over here on the double, but do it quietly. I don't want to tip the AoR off that they got loose. And let Sterling and Niebauer know they have two very relieved gentlemen waiting for them."

"Roger that."

 _Well, they took care of themselves,_ Ortiz thought. _As for Hayes and Minmei, that's up to you, Joker._

* * *

Rick quickly surveyed the situation. _Three of them, one of me,_ he thought. _Lisa's unarmed, but she's combat trained, so I'm not too overly worried if crap hits the fan and this thing goes south. The wild card is behind seat number two._ He shook his head. _Rescuing her again. Somehow, it's like a broken record. One I'm tired of listening to._

It was then Rick noticed the man was listening out for something and was appearing to be impatient. It was also at that time that he heard Ortiz come over his earpiece.

"Joker, its Papi. Got some good news for ya. Grant, Niebauer, and Sterling got out. Baker Team got them clear. Also, it gives us access to the kitchen area."

A smile came over Rick's face as he saw the frustration rise in the man in front of him.

* * *

Xamdar tapped on the communicator again. "Midao? What is your status? Have you executed the others yet?" _It's not like him to not answer when called,_ he thought. It was also then that a harsh realization struck him. _Parina! The traitor must have overpowered them. I knew I should have sent more to cover her. Khyron and Azonia are not going to be pleased._

With a growl of frustration, he slapped the device closed and turned to the two guards behind Lisa and Minmei.

"Something must have gone wrong. Go to the back and check on Midao and the others. Now!" Turning towards Rick, he smiled. "I can handle this one."

The two commandos nodded and left quickly, leaving Xamdar alone with Rick and the two captives.

"Sounds like you underestimated my colleagues, pal," Rick stated plainly.

"Commander, you are not really in any position to talk at the moment. I have in front of me the two people you care about the most in this universe. And if you keep on annoying me or my master, both of them are not going to be around for much longer."

This led Minmei to scream out and plead for her life. Lisa, on the other hand, sat there stoically, but glaring at the now unhinged Zentraedi.

"I could care less what you or your master thinks, buddy," Rick spat back. "How about this for an offer. You let them go and I don't kill you on the spot."

Xamdar began to laugh. "I'll pass on that pathetic offer of yours, Hunter. Like I said, I have Captain Hayes and Minmei here. I can kill each one of them in front of you. But, to make this even more fun, I'll kill the one you care more about first."

Xamdar walked menacingly towards the two women, drawing his pistol.

"So, who is to die first?"

He pointed the pistol at Minmei. Minmei started to whimper and cry even more. "Please, Xamdar! Don't kill me! I've been nothing but kind to you."

"Shut up! You're the reason why I'm even here on this miserable rock!" With that, he reared back and hit her across the face. The force of the strike caused Minmei to slump back and out of the chair, quite unconscious.

Xamdar turned back towards Rick. A hard look was painted across the RDF pilot's face as he stood in front of him, arms crossed. A smile came across his face as he glared at Rick.

"Well, it appears that the Commander is a bit impassive at the moment. And to think we thought all this time that the Sorceress had a hold on his emotions." He looked down at the now unconscious Minmei and smirked. "Congratulations, you get to live a few minutes longer."

He then turned towards Lisa and pointed the pistol at her.

Lisa looked over at Rick, who looked back at her and mouthed the words, _"trust me."_

Rick's expression turned to pure anger. "Don't even think about it, you bastard. You harm her, you'll be unleashing hell itself," he said with some added emphasis on "unleashing hell".

* * *

In the command van, Ortiz opened up one of the channels. "Able Team, Baker Team, signal has been given. Have at 'em, boys!"

Within seconds, the two teams poured in towards the restaurant, catching the commandos by surprise.

Baker Team caught the two guards that Xamdar sent to check on the three that were lying dead in the kitchen area. A few muffled rifle bursts later had the two commandos joining their colleagues on the floor in the same lifeless state. One of the Special Ops team members tapped his earpiece quickly.

"Caterer, its Baker Team. Kitchen is clear. We have five hostiles down. Three were already down when we came in."

Ortiz nodded. "Good job, Sideshow. Sounds like our people on the inside took care of those other mooks. Go and link up with Abel."

"Roger that," the trooper nicknamed Sideshow barked back.

As for Able Team, the element of surprise helped greatly as the two snipers they had posted across the street took down the door guards as soon as the go order was given. The remaining commandos, realizing that they were outnumbered, threw down their guns and surrendered.

"Caterer, Able Team checking in. Main hall is secure. All the civvies are out and accounted for. Snipes took out the two by the door, but the other three got religion and appear to have repented. They're secured and in custody."

Ortiz smiled. "Great work, Punisher. Meet up with Sideshow and Baker Team by the private room. I think the Commander may need a hand."

"Gotcha, Papi," With that, Punisher turned towards his team. "Alright, Able. Baker's on their way in. We still have two captives and the Commander in there with the other mook. We may have to convince this guy of the error of his ways, that is if the Commander hasn't done so already."

The two teams linked up rather quickly and took a perimeter around the doors to the room.

* * *

Xamdar smiled at the reaction. "Well, that makes this choice easy. On your feet, Captain!" He roughly grabbed Lisa and brought her down towards where Rick was standing.

It was then that Xamdar's communicator started going off. Grumbling again, he reached for it.

Rick caught the move and nodded to Lisa. Lisa, to her credit, had an idea of what was to come next and nodded back to acknowledge.

All of this was not caught by Xamdar, who was too busy to wonder why he was being disturbed. Opening the communicator, he thumbed it on. "What is it?"

"Commander! The Micronians are storming our position! We're being overwhel...urk!" The communication from the commando was cut off as he was grabbed by a man in all black and a mask over his face. The man yelled out, "RDF Special Forces! Get on the goddamn ground!"

The realization of what had just happened dawned on Xamdar. _No! This cannot be!_

As the realization came over, he happened to slacken his hold on Lisa just a bit. This was all she needed as she slammed her elbow square into his chest. The force of the hit caused Xamdar to gasp out in shock and pain and also caused his hold on the Captain to fully release. Lisa spun away and dove for the floor.

Rick saw the opportunity and took it. Reaching behind him, he was able to pull out a special issue pistol that the Special Operations team had given him before going in to the restaurant. He took a shot, hitting Xamdar square in the chest. The micronized Zentraedi felt the shot hit and his eyes went wide as he saw Rick standing before him holding the pistol.

"Should have frisked me before letting me in," he muttered. Turning to Lisa, he smiled and asked, "You OK?"

"I'm fine. Glad you showed up when you did."

"May want to wake up sleeping beauty over there," motioning towards Minmei.

"Do I have to?"

Rick tried not to laugh. "Yeah, better you than me though. She's less likely to try and jump your bones if you do it."

A sly grin came over Lisa's face. _Like I'd let the Pop-Tart do what I want to do,_ she thought as she went over to the prone form of Minmei.

Rick walked back over towards the now dying Xamdar. The shot had torn through most of his insides and the blood loss was too great for the Zentraedi to recover from. It was there he noticed that he was trying to reach for his communicator. Kicking it towards him, Rick allowed him to punch in a code, having a feeling of exactly who he was trying to hail.

* * *

Sitting in the command center of his base, Khyron was keeping an eye on the operation in New Macross with a growing sense of anger and desperation. _The information feeds from the Micronians are painting a bad picture. Why I ever trusted this fool at all is beyond me,_ he thought as he felt his anger rising at the reports.

It was then that the communicator started to go off. Grumbling, he picked it up and flicked it on. To his shock and surprise, he saw a very pale Xamdar on the other end, coughing up blood.

"Xamdar."

"My Lord...I have..failed..you. The...Micronians...too...strong. I...apologiz..." A loud cough came up and he sank back. The view on the communicator rolled to the floor.

"What do you mean failed? You assured me this operation would be successful! You have failed me for the last time, Xamdar! I will burn your existence from the sky, you miserable piece of.."

"You don't have to worry about that," another voice came across. "Already took care of that for you."

To Khyron's horror, the view of Commander Rick Hunter came across the communicator.

"YOU! I will kill you!"

"That old gag," Rick deadpanned. His face changed from a wry smirk to that of deadly seriousness. "Now, you big ugly bastard, it's time to listen. I have a particular set of skills you know all too well about as I nearly ended you three times already. If you leave this planet now and fold off to anywhere else in the universe, that will be the end of this. However, if you want to go at us again, I will find you, and I will end you. That's not a promise, that's a guarantee."

"How dare you..."

"Shut up, Khyron. You're going to screw up royally and I'm going to be there when it happens to ensure your ticket to Hell gets punched." With that, Rick thumbed off the communicator and slammed his boot on to it. shattering the device.

On the other end, Khyron sat there seething. Checking the information stream from New Macross, he could see that Hunter's taunts were confirmed as the operation headed by Xamdar was an utter failure. He picked up the goblet by his chair and threw it against the wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Across the command center, the sound of Khyron shouting in anger reverberated across. "DAMN YOU MICRONIANS! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

* * *

In the room, Rick looked over at the now-awake Minmei. She was sitting on the chair rubbing her head.

"Thank you, Rick," she said with a smile. "Feel like coming back with me?"

"Not really. I have some things I need to take care of on base."

She got up and walked over towards him.

Off in the corner, Lisa was trying not to throw up. _If it wasn't infuriating to watch this little bitch try to get her claws back in him, it'd be funny. She's going to fail and fail hard._ It was then she noticed she was trying to move closer, causing her anger to rise even more.

Minmei stood directly in front of Rick now. "I'm sure I can show my appreciation to my rescuer," she said with a lot of suggestiveness behind it.

"Sorry, not really in the mood for Chinese tonight."

A look of hurt came over Minmei's face. "Rick, why do you keep on doing this? You're going to get yourself killed. Walk away from this and we can be free to do what we want."

"Maybe I'm doing what I want to do already."

It was then she looked over towards Lisa and glared. "What hold does that old wrinkled broad have over you? Is it because she has the power of life and death over you? I would never put you in harm's way."

A hard look came over Rick. "Excuse me?"

Minmei regretted her choice of words almost immediately. "I..I..I didn't mean it like that.."

"Then how in the hell did you mean it? That 'wrinkled old broad' as you called her has saved my ass more times than I'm willing to count. I'd trust my life with her. And, unlike you, she's been there through the thick and thin over the past three years. It's only now that you seem to even care. Even then, the first time I see you in over two years, you tell me to do something physically impossible, then you seem to think that I would drop everything for you. Sorry, but the world doesn't revolve around you. I know it's a hard thing to hear, but it's the truth."

He could hear her whimpering as he turned his back towards her.

"Tell me, have you even been back to the White Dragon since you got back into town?"

"No. I've been busy. Plus Kyle had a falling out with Uncle Max and doesn't want to step foot in there."

"You may want to go there. There's something there that will explain everything."

Rick looked over at Lisa and nodded. "I have to head back. Goodbye, Minmei. Try to stay out of trouble."

With that, he walked towards the entrance of the restaurant with Lisa, leaving Minmei to wonder where things had gone wrong.

* * *

As they reached the street, Rick turned to Lisa, smiled and then grabbed her in a large and tight hug. Lisa pulled him closer, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

"Thank you, Rick," she said.

"I wasn't going to let them hurt you. Not on my watch." _I'm also not about to lose you, not anymore,_ he added silently. "You may want to touch base with the med team. I know you're fine, but still, couldn't hurt."

She nodded and started towards the medical team's location.

A cry came out from nearby that stopped both Lisa and Rick in their tracks.

"YOU! You murderous bastard!"

Rick saw where the cry had come from and from who. Approaching them was a very irate Lynn Kyle.

"Not in the mood right now, Kyle. Go home."

"Xamdar was my valet! He had nothing to do with this madness!" He stormed up right to Rick and Lisa.

"Should have vetted your people better," Lisa shot back. "He was working for Khyron the whole time and he probably organized the kidnapping."

"Nonsense! He was a good assimilated Zentraedi. You just killed him because he's a Zent, nothing more."

Rick snorted. "Really? Seeing my best friend in my squadron is, oh I don't know, married to a Zentraedi, I highly doubt I have any issues with them outside of ones that want to kill me or any other human. You're just pissy because you screwed up in hiring that mook. He played you and Minmei, which is not really hard to do seeing you're hammered all the time."

Kyle glared at the two RDF officers in front of him. "Take that back right now."

Rick stepped forward. "Not a chance. Like I said, go home. As much as you're a repulsive piece of crap, your cousin needs you right now."

"I heard about what happened in there," he shot back. "I'm glad you're happier screwing that military slut there, Hunter," gesturing towards Lisa. "Minmei's well above your class." He punctuated this by jabbing his finger at Rick's chest.

Rick had heard enough. With a swift motion, he uncorked a right hook that landed square on Kyle's jaw. The satisfying impact sent Kyle spinning around with his body going one way and two of his teeth going in another. He fell to the ground in a heap, groaning. Rick stood over him with a very cold look on his face.

"You ever speak of Captain Hayes in that manner ever again, you'll be picking up more of your teeth. Now, get the hell out of here."

"I'm pressing charges!" he shot back. Turning to one of the policemen nearby, he shouted, "Officer, have that man arrested for assault!"

The policeman, witnessing the whole thing, laughed. "You brought it on yourself, buddy. Besides, the finger jab is more than enough to say you started the whole thing. Take his advice and go home."

Kyle started to walk away, muttering under his breath the entire time.

Lisa looked over at Rick, who was still standing with his fists clenched.

"I think congratulations are in order. You just did something everyone in the RDF has wanted to do for quite a while."

The remark had its desired affect as Rick relaxed and cracked a smile.

"Dunno about you, but I'm ready to go back to base. It's been a long day."


	21. Come A Little Closer

Review time...

 **WardogRD** \- Thanks! Glad you enjoyed them. I have a feeling that was going to be a part everyone was going to like. Three plus years of pent up feelings getting let loose on someone that was richly deserving of it? Yeah, Lisa was waiting for that moment and just owned it.

 **jag389** \- Thanks! The girls can definitely handle themselves and then some (well outside of Minmei), as shown. And I knew Rick dropping Kyle like a bad habit would get some applause. The cop line I added because it was someting that I saw actually happen.

 **sscaldwe** \- Thanks much! It was something I was tinkering with as to how it would go down. Glad you enjoyed both 19  & 20, and no worries about the combination review. Glad you're feeling better. And yes, this chapter should be worth it.

 **theGhostflyer** \- Yeah, thought that'd be a popular choice. I can't see any of the females in the story (Lisa, Claudia, Amelia, and especially Miriya) being the helpless "save me" damsel in distress. I'll leave that for Minmei lol. So yeah, a little "girl power" was in order. And yeah, I've made Amelia snarky enough to pull off a line like that (hence why she's with Ben in this one). I will admit that Alight did have a bit of an influence there too, but it was more a statement of fact by Lisa than anything. As for Rick channeling his inner Liam Neeson, I just had to get that in there somehow, and it was fitting to use that on Khyron. As for Kyle's ill-chosen comment, that was the setup for him getting his comeuppance. I toyed with him getting iced in the hostage drama, but figured he deserved the same fate as Humperdink in _The Princess Bride_ (live with the shame and stigma of being a coward when it matters). The cop line, as I said to jag, was something I saw happen outside of a bar one night, almost word for word. Yeah, those two works played a role in this one, much like this one did have some influences on Alight and the oneshots.

Well, as for confessions, just read the chapter. He did pretty much lay it out in no uncertain terms, but this is Minmei we're talking about here. She's not going to take no for an answer quite yet, as you'll see. Lastly, I wanted to give some light as to what goes on as well, and not just jump into the action. The strategy behind the action can be just as exciting if done right.

 **PLUGGING AWAY** \- If you haven't heard, Ghost's dropped a new one on us. _Robotech: Darkness Awaits_ is the sequel to the amazingly good Mars Alight. Check it out as it picks right up where Alight left off. Fun, action, fluff. All the good stuff right there.

Also, it means we're getting closer to the finish line of DBTD as well. There's still some serious action to drop, but as with all good things... That doesn't mean it's the end of the fun though. There's some oneshots coming up that cover some scenes that didn't quite make the cut. Right now, there's plans for at least four, with maybe two others happening.

* * *

As hinted in the review responses, this chapter deals with answering a nagging question...it's shorter than some of the more recent offerings, but it shouldn't disappoint.

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty One – Come A Little Closer**

As what had been a surreal day turned towards night, Rick decided there was one thing that was the most appropriate call for the events that had transpired. Joining with Ben and Amelia, they made their way to the SetUp for a few drinks. The three made their way over to a corner booth, and with drinks in hand sat back to reflect and unwind. _Lisa told me she'd be running late as there were some things she wanted to go over on base,_ Rick thought. _Was kind of hoping she'd join us._

"I never would have thought Minmei's driver was the guy leading the charge for the Army of Righteousness," Ben mused while taking a healthy sip of his beer.

"I don't think anyone did, Ben," Rick answered. "He was probably the last person we would have suspected. It made for the perfect cover."

Ben nodded. "Probably means he was Khyron's inside guy for the whole kidnapping scheme."

"Willing to bet you were right on that, Ben. Who else had that kind of access and knew the schedule?"

"Well, there is Kyle," Amelia added.

Rick snorted. "Yeah, he'd be a good choice there. He'd either make some sort of nauseating, self-serving speech about how the RDF are the bad guys or be too lit to actually pull it off." He paused as he took another slug of his beer. "And I'd go for choice number two."

Amelia nodded and took a sip of her drink. Looking up at one of the TV's in the bar, she saw an interview with Lynn Kyle going on. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear," she muttered. Taking a closer look, she noticed he had two black eyes, his nose was a bit more crooked, and he wasn't smiling as much as usual. "Ben," she said while she nudged him with an elbow. "You see that?"

Ben had a smile on his face as he took in the scene unfolding on TV. "Damn, someone kicked his ass finally. I'd love to shake that guy's hand. Hell, I'd buy him a beer."

Rick smiled and extended his hand. "Guess next round is on you, buddy."

Ben and Amelia gazed at their friend. Rick took a good sized slug of his beer while they processed what they had just heard. "OK, what happened was I was the Captain after we got out of the restaurant and we were heading back over to the Special Ops location to get out of there when I heard our least favorite political agitator come over screaming at me that I was some sort of racist for killing Xamdar. Well, sorry pal. Not my fault your driver was working for Khyron and all and had held a few of the bridge personnel and two of my pilots hostage. Besides, Max is married to a Zentraedi and I trust Miriya with my life out there. If I were anti-Zent, you think I'd want her in my squadron, much less watching my six?"

Ben nodded. "Well, as the old saying goes; when you assume you make an ass of you and not me."

Amelia gave him a sharp look. "That saying, I don't think it means what you think it does."

"Anyways, to make a long story short," Rick continued. "He called Lisa a slut. My fist then decided to have a close meeting with his face. And well, you see how that turned out. The funnier thing was that there was a Metro officer standing right near us when Kyle decided to hit my fist with his face. He actually was asking to have me arrested. The cop laughed at him."

Ben smiled. "Well, you did something everyone on base was dying to see happen."

Rick chuckled. "Lisa said the same exact thing after it all went down."

Rick smiled. "Speaking of things turning out, how did you, Mir, and Claudia get away, Nibs?"

Amelia smiled and reached down under the table. A second later, one of her shoes was on the table. "You see this? " as she pointed to the heel, "I kinda put that into the jugular of some poor Em Zee creep. Never saw it coming."

Rick turned to Ben. "Remind me to never get on her bad side. That's almost as scary as Miriya."

"She did me one better," Amelia stated as she removed the shoe from the table. "She snapped the neck of the guy that was guarding her. Went all _Metal Gear_ on him."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Rick deadpanned.

"So, Boss, where's the Captain?" Ben asked. "Thought she would be joining us."

As if on cue, Rick's phone rang. Looking down at the caller ID, he noticed who it was that was calling and smiled. Picking it up without hesitation, both Amelia and Ben noticed the smile had been replaced with a concerned look. Nodding to himself, he cut the call off.

"Sorry kids, something came up. Gotta head on out." Rick reached into his wallet and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and left it on the table. "That should cover everything."

Ben rose as well, "Anything I should be concerned about?"

"No, not anything like a Zent attack. This is a bit more, um, personal."

Ben understood what was meant. "Well, I'm not gonna keep you. Good night, Boss."

Salutes and waves followed as Rick made his way to the exit of the bar, leaving Ben and Amelia at the table.

Amelia turned to Ben and smiled. "Think he does it tonight?"

Ben returned the smile. "Could be. It's going to happen, Nibs. Just a matter of when. Lord knows it took them long enough."

* * *

As Rick exited the SetUp, he saw a familiar sight in front of him. It was Lisa, standing outside of the bar, holding her cellphone. What had Rick concerned was the look on her face. _For all the things the two of us have been through, I've never seen a scared look on her face like that before,_ he thought. _Not when she accidentally shot me down, not at Alaska Base, not ever. Today looks like it took a bit more out of her than she let on._

Lisa probably would not have denied Rick's assessment of her current mood. Gamely, she gave a small smile back to the black haired man now standing by her.

Rick broke the silence. "Hey, you OK?"

Lisa looked up at him and felt her eyes watering. "No, I'm not." She buried her head into him and started to sob. Rick let her clutch to him as the emotions of the entire day poured out, reassuringly stroking her hair and back. _And it appears I was right,_ he thought. _I'm still amazed how she kept that poker face with that Zent bastard pointing a gun in her face. Any lesser person would have cracked._

He instinctively pulled her in closer, as if to shield her from everything and anything. _I swore a while ago that I was done hurting you, and I'll be damned if anyone or anything hurts you again, Lisa. Not on my watch._

They both stood there, locked in each other's arms for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, she pulled back a bit and smiled up at Rick.

"Rick, I really don't want to be alone tonight."

He nodded. "I just need to stop over at my house and get some things." He eyed her quickly. "I don't think I'd fit in anything you have, and to be honest, I don't have the legs to pull off the uniform look like you do."

Lisa smiled and found herself laughing at the wisecrack. _In your own way, Rick, you know how to make me feel better. A nice compliment wrapped around a silly joke._ She found her voice again after the quick thought. "Lead the way then, Commander," she intoned, with a wink.

As they made their way down the streets towards Rick's neighborhood, Lisa instinctively drew closer to him. Just as instinctively, Rick had his arm around her. As it was after the day at the coffee shop and park, it felt natural to both of them. _Like this was meant to be,_ Lisa thought.

* * *

Rick walked towards the front door of his house and noticed something different as he approached. _Funny, I didn't leave my living room light on when I left,_ he thought. Motioning Lisa to stand off to the side of the door, he took post on the opposite side and drew his sidearm. Lisa, noticing what Rick had done, took the same stance on her side of the entrance and had her service sidearm out as well.

Testing out the door knob, Rick could feel it unlatch, then swing open. _Locked my door on the way out this morning too._ He looked over by the small garden area and noticed one of the rocks was overturned. _Well, whoever's in there found the spare key. Note to self: Find a better hiding spot for the spare._ Rick took a deep breath and pushed the door back further. No response but there was some music coming from the bedroom. Motioning over to Lisa, they both entered the house fully. At this point Rick dialed a contact number to the MP switchboard. In a few seconds he had confirmation a patrol would be stopping by.

"Hello? Where's the suicidal idiot that thought breaking into my house was a good idea hiding out? You do know there's RDF MP's on their way over now too!"

Still nothing. Rick looked over at Lisa and motioned towards the bedroom. They both took a standby position next to the door. The music was a little louder and both could determine what it was. _Ugh, someone has a really tasteless sense of humor playing Minmei songs in here,_ Rick thought. He looked over at Lisa and said softly, "On the count of three. One. Two."

Rick never reached three as Lisa kicked the door open and took a classic stance with the pistol. A gasp escaped her mouth as she saw the interior of the bedroom.

The lights had been turned down low and there were rose petals everywhere. Lying on the bed in a very skimpy negligee was a somewhat surprised Minmei.

"Really?" Rick demanded. _Note to self two: Change the locks and potentially contact the MMPD about a restraining order,_ he thought as he holstered his pistol. Looking over at Lisa, he saw her put the safety on and place the pistol back in her purse.

"Rick, you're here," she slurred, eliciting an eye roll from both Lisa and Rick. "I've been waiting to show you my appreciation for rescuing me."

 _Not this again,_ he thought. Mustering as much niceness as he could in light of the situation, Rick looked at the nearly naked woman and shook his head. "Look, it's time to go home. What were you thinking breaking into my house?"

"I didn't break in. I found a key in the garden. Really stupid place to put a key." She looked over at Lisa and frowned. "What is grandma doing here anyways? Thought you didn't go for Q-Tips."

Lisa felt her blood pressure starting to rise. Turning to Rick, she spoke quietly, but very firmly. "If she doesn't leave in the next ten seconds, I officially am not responsible for my actions," patting her purse very menacingly.

Rick nodded. "I'm almost apt to let you at this point," he added in a tone that was just as quiet.

Turning back to the sight on his bed, Rick sighed. "Minmei, please, I'm begging here, with tears in my eyes. Please knock off this crap." Behind him, Lisa smiled.

Minmei looked over at Rick with puppy dog eyes. "You want me to leave?"

Rick nodded. "You'd probably be much better off at the White Dragon. Max and Lena are worried about you."

It was just then that the quiet was broken by two RDF MP's entering the house quickly, rifles drawn. A terrified shriek escaped Minmei's lips.

"Stand down, Sergeant," Lisa ordered quickly. "She's not armed and not that much of a threat." The added emphasis on the threat level earned Lisa a cold stare from the intoxicated woman sitting on Rick's bed.

The MP shook his head. "Ma'am, please get your clothes back on. It's time to leave."

She sighed and started to gather her things. Allowing her some privacy, the two MP's joined Rick and Lisa out in the living area. Lisa had pulled out her cellphone and was dialing in something after talking with Rick quickly.

One of the MP's turned to Rick. "Sir, do you want to press any charges? She technically violated UEG Code Section twenty dash three-two-eight, part six. Seeing this house is part of the base, it's trespassing on government property on top of the breaking and entering."

Rick shook his head. "No, I won't this time. She comes back, much different story," he said loud enough to be heard in the next room.

The other MP came over. "Sir, want us to drive her back to her residence?"

Lisa smiled, "No, I think we have that covered," showing her phone to the MP. On the screen was a confirmation that a ride share was coming over to pick up Minmei and take her to the White Dragon.

A few minutes later, Minmei walked out of Rick's room and looked over at him. Before she could say a word, Rick cut her off.

"OK, you caught a massive break here. I could have had you thrown in jail for breaking and entering and trespassing on UEG and RDF property. That's a few years in New Leavenworth if convicted. However, I decided against pressing charges. But, if it happens again, I won't be as nice about it. There's also a car outside that will take you back to the White Dragon."

She nodded sadly, knowing the fight was pretty much lost this time.

"When you get there, there should be a letter waiting for you there. I would highly suggest you read it."

Another silent nod followed as she walked out the door towards the car. As she got in, she looked over and saw Rick and Lisa standing there, arms crossed. Sighing again and fighting back tears, she settled into the back seat and closed the door. _You've lost him, Minmei, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it,_ she thought as the tears started to flow as the realization of the situation hit.

As the car left, Rick turned to Lisa and smiled.

"Now that the entertainment portion of the evening has completed, let me get my things and we'll head back to your place. There's some things we have to talk about."

Lisa nodded. "That we do, flyboy, that we do."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Rick and Lisa arrived at her house, which was just about three blocks away from Rick's residence. Making their way inside, Rick hung up his jacket in the side closet and placed his backpack on one of the love seats in the living room. Lisa had made her way over to the kitchen and was pulling out a kettle and a tin from one of the cabinets along with two mugs.

"Tea sound good?"

"No complaints here," he responded with a smile. Thinking for a second, he took out Roy's old MP3 player and hooked it up into the entertainment center in the living room. Within a few seconds, music began to radiate from the speakers. Satisfied with the choice, he sat back on the couch just as the kettle started to whistle. Lisa walked over shortly after, holding two steaming mugs. Rick took one and placed it on the table in front, letting it cool for a bit. Lisa followed suit and sat next to Rick.

"So..." Lisa started.

"Quite an eventful day," Rick stated.

"Yeah. Understatement of the decade."

Rick nodded. _Well, buddy boy,_ he thought. _Here's your golden opportunity. Minmei is officially no longer a road block. Lisa's right here. It's now or never, and I know Pops didn't raise a coward._

Lisa studied Rick as he appeared to be thinking over something. _You'll never have a better chance, Lisa,_ she thought. _It's pretty obvious he's as attracted to me as I am to him. Like the motto of the Skulls, fortune favors the bold._

Rick sighed. "Lisa, I think I owe you a massive apology."

"What for, Rick? I mean, we haven't fought in a few weeks, which I think is a record for us."

"It's for having the fights take place at all. I mean, for nearly three years, I was a bit, no scratch that, I was a big time ass to you. You didn't deserve that treatment at all. And for that, I'm sorry."

Lisa smiled a bit. "Apology accepted, even though it wasn't necessary. I forgave you for all of that a while back. And I think I owe you one as well. There were times I intentionally went out of my way to pick a fight with you. That wasn't deserved either."

Rick nodded and smiled. "It's OK. You were forgiven a long time ago."

A song came on over the speakers that appeared to resonate with both Rick and Lisa. She moved a bit closer to him, and as he put his arm up on the top of the couch, she leaned in next to him. Rick looked down and saw a sparkle in Lisa's sapphire eyes, which got a smile out of him. Grabbing the cup of tea and taking a sip, he steeled himself for what was to come next. _Time to take the plunge,_ he thought.

"I think I know why we fought so often."

"Why was that?"

"I think it was more emotions than anything, to be honest. As in, I had a hell of a time sorting mine out."

Lisa looked up at Rick, her heart beating a bit faster. _Is he about to admit to something?_

He took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, as the scuttlebutt was on the base, everyone thought I was head over heels for Minmei. And yeah, that was true for a while. But, for some reason, it just didn't feel like it was supposed to be. I mean, yeah, I liked her, but it just didn't click. It was like a middle school crush. She's not that forever girl, ya know?"

Lisa nodded, feeling a bit more confident about things. She decided to push the envelope a bit. "And what, pray tell, is your forever girl type, Rick?"

Rick smiled. "Well, for starters, she'd have to be someone with a great sense of humor, but can be as serious as can be when the need arises. She'd have to have confidence in her actions and abilities. Also, she'd have to be down to earth and not the kind of person that puts on acts. And, there's got to be some brains up there too."

Lisa pulled in a bit closer. "Sounds awfully familiar," she said with a hint of mirth.

Rick gave a sly grin. "Plus, being drop dead gorgeous doesn't hurt matters either. Looks are great, but smarts and humor are just as hot in my book. That's where Minmei lost. Yeah, she's attractive, winning a beauty pageant and all, but there's nothing between her ears. Now, the forever girl, she's got the killer looks and the killer mind to go with it."

Lisa smiled. _Keep on talking like this, Rick, and you won't be sacking out on the couch tonight._ She took a sip of her tea and placed the mug back on the table. "So, with Minmei, when did you know?"

"Probably right around the time of Dolza's attack. Had a feeling that was goodbye right then and there, because if we lost, that was it. No going home. We left it with a kiss on the observation deck. Just really felt awkward, even though it was something that I had wanted for so long. But I think I had made my choice by then, but was just too stupid to realize it. I think it really hit was when we watched that first volley from the Zent fleet slam into the Earth. She was praying for her parents. My prayers were going towards one person that was planet-side. Someone I was missing a hell of a lot more than I realized."

Lisa felt her heart skip a beat.

"That's pretty much when I knew. I think the only reason why I was so damn stubborn about things was that I never got that closure."

It was then he heard his cellphone going off. Lisa moved back a bit, with a bit of resigned frustration while Rick checked it briefly. Smiling, he turned back to Lisa.

"Remember that little thing about getting closure? It just arrived."

* * *

Minmei had arrived back at the White Dragon about ten minutes prior. After a quick hello to Uncle Max and Aunt Lena, she had feigned being tired and made her way upstairs to her room. As she peered in, a small smile came over her. _Nice to see they pretty much kept it as-is. Must have been tough moving everything over from the SDF-1 to here._ It was then that she spied an envelope sitting on her dresser. Walking over, she picked it up and immediately recognized the handwritten "Minmei" on the front. _Rick's handwriting,_ she thought. Spying it a bit closer, she had a sense of dread to start building. _Do I really want to read this?_ _Well, you kind of owe it to him after everything._ Taking a deep breath, she opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside.

As she read, she felt her entire world shatter around her.

 _"Minmei, This is probably one of the more difficult things I've had to do, but it's something that needed to be done. I've come to the realization that we've hit that fork in the road and our paths are going in different directions. For a long time, I was hopeful that you and I could have been a bit more. I held on to this hope for some time, to the detriment of others around me. After what happened in New Detroit, I realized that this was the reality of the situation and it was reinforced by what happened. I'm not mad at you over that, as things like that happen. But it did tell me that the decision I'm about to make was the right call. I just don't think anything between us would work out in the end. It's nothing you or I did that caused that to happen, but it just happened to be how things were supposed to go, I guess. What I hadn't counted on was my heart going in a different direction, and to deny that would be a disservice to you and the woman who stands in that direction my heart has lead me to. It would be like me asking you to give up singing or you to ask me to give up flying. Neither is going to happen, as I know us too well. I think it's time we move forward with our lives and go on those paths set out for us. I truly wish you all the best in everything down the road. You'll be that star again. Take care. Rick. PS - you may want to reach out to Uncle Max and Aunt Lena a bit more. They miss you terribly."_

Falling on her bed and burying her head into her pillow, Minmei wept bitterly as she saw the fleeting chance with Rick Hunter was gone.

 _I waited too long_ , she thought with a large dose of regret. _I took him for granted, and he did what anyone would do after a time. He moved on. Rick, I'm so sorry. I wish I could make it right between us, but that chance is gone._

Picking up her cellphone, she tapped a familiar contact and typed a very short message in response.

 _"Rick, I totally understand. I wish you all the happiness in the world. I only regret it wasn't with me. And, I'm sorry for all the nonsense I put you through. More sorry than you'll ever imagine."_

Tapping Send, she then deleted the contact, which started a fresh round of sobs.

* * *

Lisa's eyes brightened at the statement Rick had made. "Closure? That means..."

Rick smiled. "The last road block has been removed. The road is clear and the wind is to my back. Time to go to that second star to the right and straight on 'til morning."

Lisa moved closer to Rick, a move that was well received as Rick had moved a bit closer to her. Smiling, he knew that if there was to be any time to say something, this was it.

"Well," Rick said softly. "I do have a confession to make. I think I know who my forever girl is. She's sitting right here in my arms."

Lisa leaned in close, starting a hesitant, yet tender kiss with Rick that grew in intensity as they both threw themselves into the act. The realization that the other was the most dear, most special, and most important thing in their world caused the passion behind the ensuing kisses to grow.

Taking a pause for a second, Lisa looked at Rick with a somewhat predatory demeanor. "Rick, you have no idea how long I've waited for you to say something like that."

Rick smiled. "I'm sorry for taking so long, but I kinda wanted to do it the right way. When you have your forever girl sitting right there in front of you, you don't want to screw it up."

"Even if it's frustrating as hell for the girl in question? There's been days where I debated whether I wanted to kiss you or kill you," She wrapped her arms around him and smiled. "But, you know what? It was worth it. Rick, I love you and have loved you for quite a while."

Rick smiled back. "Another confession, Lisa. I think I probably fell for you at Alaska Base. Kept denying it like an idiot, but well, I did wake up finally. And I'm glad I did. I love you too, Lisa. And like you, it's been for a while."

Lisa didn't even bother with a response, deciding on a different course of action. Pushing Rick down on the couch, she sat on top of him and then began re-initiating the kissing, increasing the intensity to a level beyond earlier. Looking at her quarry, Lisa had a sly smirk on her face. "Since we're confessing things, mister. That night after the walk in the park, when I said you would have ended up spending the night here if we kissed then, I meant it."

"Like I didn't?," Rick answered with a laugh. "I knew we would have. It just wasn't the right time."

"So, when is the right time?"

Rick returned the sly grin. "Right now."

Lisa got up from the couch and led Rick into the bedroom nearby.

* * *

Rick sat back in the bed, lying on his back, in a state of contented bliss. Next to him, sleeping soundly, but clutching to him was the one he knew he would spend the rest of his life with. _I am one lucky guy,_ he thought. _I should have seen this earlier. Would have definitely saved me a lot of grief._

He leaned over and kissed Lisa on the forehead before falling asleep, thinking of a line from one of his favorite movies.

 _True love doesn't happen every day, but when it does, nothing can top it._


	22. Calling Card

Reviews -

 **Adena McGee** \- Thanks! I figured Rick was the kind of guy that would want that closure on one side before advancing forward. Also, it wasn't like the series where he just ping-ponged all over the place. Had it build to this point and I'm glad you thought it delivered.

 **jag389** \- LOL..I think I was too. As for a medal, I think he'll be fine with the free beers for now.

 **theGhostflyer** \- Thank you sir! I'm in the same boat here as well, so I figured I'd have Rick play it in this fashion. And LOL at Google Play's timing. Irony, it's so ironic lol.

The Inigo quote about inconceivable just fit here with Ben messing up the analogy as it would seem to be a very Amelia thing to say. And glad you like the Metal Gear comment as well...Miriya doing a Solid Snake could make for something quite funny.

That one just kinda came to me while I was writing. As I said, it was a pretty Rick way of doing it. Heartfelt and truthful.

And get used to the naughty internal dialogues from both Lisa AND Rick coming up. Let's just say things are going to be hinted at. It's a Lemon-free zone here, but implying it can be even more effective than writing it. Also, the breakdown was something I had planned. Yeah, Lisa's tough as nails when it matters, but scratch the surface and she's just as human as anyone else. It kinda rounds the character nicely.

I would say we are pretty similar in style, so it's definitely a compliment with as good as Alight was. And Darkness is already off to a pretty solid start as well. That's going to be a fun ride.

* * *

OK, back to the action. We're on the home stretch now and well, this sets up the final confrontation. One of the RDF's finest doesn't make it out of this chapter, so be warned. As to who, read on...

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty Two – Calling Card**

Two weeks had passed since the events in Downtown New Macross. With the hostage drama defused, a bit of normalcy had been able to descend upon the residents of the city and also the men and women stationed at Macross Command. The construction on the SDF-2 progressed rapidly and it was now more certain than ever that the newest and largest member of the UN Spacy fleet would be ready for her maiden voyage come the spring. As the holidays closed up and a new year dawned, a sense of urgency started to come over those intimately connected to the efforts to get the Deuce, as those assigned to her had come to call the ship, off the ground and running.

The urgency was focused in a corner office in the sprawling Macross Command complex as Captain Lisa Hayes, who would be charged with commanding the SDF-2, was going over last minute staffing plans. Along side her in the office was a man who was going to be the new Commander - Air Group for the SDF-2, Commander Rick Hunter. Lisa gazed over one form in front of her and looked over at Rick and smiled.

"Well, that makes that official," she said holding the piece of paper aloft. "Wilcox put in his notice that he was remaining here at Command. Guess we have your replacement all set."

Rick nodded. "I knew it was coming. He told me two weeks ago he was leaning towards staying here on Earth. Not surprised he made it official. And yeah, I already recommended him to Admiral Gloval as my replacement once the Deuce is operational."

"So, how many of the Skulls are following their leader aboard? Guessing we're going to have a full compliment," Lisa questioned.

Rick shook his head. "Not exactly. Malikowski is staying put here along with two of the nuggets. Westerlow and Davies decided against leaving. Screech is a darn good pilot, and Whitewalker and Dazzler should be a good compliment. The rest are coming though. Although at this rate, I think Max and Ben are ready to head their own squadrons and have been for a while."

Lisa nodded in agreement. "Guessing Max is on deck to be the next Skull Leader?"

"Not until I get dragged kicking and screaming from the cockpit, my dear. Yes, he's probably the odds on favorite, but right now, Skull is still my baby."

"You know that day is coming," Lisa said with an even tone.

"Not if I can help it. I agreed to be CAG on one condition. I get to choose when I fly. I'm sure my attitude will change over time, but right now? I don't want to clip my wings, not yet at least."

Lisa could feel an argument brewing over this topic. _I love him, but damn, he can be stubborn,_ she thought. _Then again, we're not that much different in that regard. One of the many things that's brought us together._

Rick decided to defuse the situation the only way he could think of. He leaned over and kissed Lisa tenderly. "I know you have my best interests at heart, Forever Girl," using his nickname for her. "But, lets revisit that one another time."

"OK, Flyboy," she responded with her nickname for him. "I get the point." She gazed at the clock on the wall. "Think it's time to call it a night. Besides, we have plans for tomorrow, mister," she said with a wry smile.

The wry smile was answered in kind. "You mean tonight and tomorrow, right?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Lisa answered back with a laugh.

"Please, around you, the gutter would be a step up. You just have that effect on me."

Lisa was laughing fully now. "Incorrigible. And to think you corrupted me."

"Hey now, I think we corrupted each other, if I recall correctly," Rick answered back with an impish grin. "Besides, if it's you doing the corrupting, I'm totally fine with it."

"Very true, Flyboy, very true." Another kiss punctuated the point. "May want to head home. The desk is going to be very uncomfortable if we keep this up. Besides, if someone walks in, it'd be pretty..."

"Awkward," came an answer from the door. Looking up, Rick and Lisa saw Claudia standing at the door with a bemused expression on her face. "Figured I'd stop by and say hi before heading out for the night. But if I was interrupting anything..."

"No, no, no," Lisa said. "You weren't. We were just getting ready to head out ourselves, right Rick?"

"Yes, yes we were," Rick responded. "Somehow we both managed to have tomorrow off. Figure it was supposed to be a halfway decent day, so we'd take in a day at the park."

"A bit cold for a picnic and all, Rick," Claudia deadpanned.

"There's some decent places nearby. Was thinking that new burger place may be the way to go."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "How romantic," she deadpanned.

"What? The place is run by one of the best chefs in town. The guy from the 'Kitchen Disasters' show."

"The angry English guy?"

"That'd be the one. Ben went there a few days ago and he said it was pretty darn good. Even Amelia liked it."

"Despite the fact they messed up her order?" Claudia added, trying not to burst out laughing at remembering the younger pilot's vivid description of what happened. "I think our famous chef found out what happens when you screw up a cheesesteak for a girl from Philadelphia."

Rick shook his head and was trying not to laugh. Lisa was well beyond attempting to stop as she started chuckling at the thought of the diminutive pilot going after a taller English chef with an attitude. _Yep, British snark versus zero to Philly in 2.3 seconds. Wish I had a video of that._

"On that pleasant note, I have to head on out," Claudia stated. "0700 comes way too early. Plus with a bunch of newbies on the bridge, it could be a somewhat challenging day."

"Well, we do have to get the new crew members for the Deuce in place and ready to go," Lisa added. "The launch day's getting closer."

"Well, I'll make sure they're whipped into shape for you, skipper," Claudia responded with a smirk.

Lisa smiled and nodded. "Seeing they're in good hands, I shouldn't worry."

Claudia laughed. "Rick, I don't know what you've done, but keep it up."

Rick smiled and didn't answer, letting the comment just hang. Claudia realized where it was going and started laughing. "Well, I didn't need that much information, but well, the mood change has been a bit refreshing to say the least. She's happy, and well, that's what matters."

"Something I intend on continuing on doing, Big Sis," Rick responded.

"I have no doubts of that. Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow after shift. Jean's having that get-together at her place."

"Looking forward to it," Lisa said. "We've been working so hard lately. A little time off would do everyone some good."

"Agreed," Rick added. "Speaking of time off, we're both not here tomorrow. Might as well get a start on the mini-vacation, Lisa," adding a smile to the comment.

With that, the three friends parted ways for the night. As Rick and Lisa made their way back towards his house, they didn't pay much attention to a random bicyclist heading up the hills towards MacArthur Park.

* * *

Pyoto looked over his shoulder at one of the cars that had driven by. _Damned RDF. They drive their transports about as clumsily as they do their fighters,_ he thought. Having to swerve out of the way at the last second before, he started heading up the final hill to the park. Arriving at the overlook, he put the bike in the rack and walked over towards the view of Lake Gloval and the SDF-1. _Zor, your flagship is very impressive indeed, but that is not the target this time,_ he sneered. Directing his attention a bit further out, he could see the superstructure of the SDF-2 in the distance. Pulling out his special binoculars, he was able to zoom in on the ship and take some images of the ship.

 _This should be a bit of a surprise to the Micronians,_ he mused. _And all this time, you thought Zor's flagship was the target. We'll get that back soon enough, but not before we take care of a little business first._ After gathering enough images, he pulled the card out of the binoculars and inserted it into a mini communicator. Tapping a few buttons on the device, he was able to pull up a map and get an exact fix on the ship and then populate the images to what the scanner was able to pick up. _Perfect,_ he thought. _Time to get the information over._

Pyoto moved towards a more secluded area and tapped in another code. The communicator sprang to life with a very familiar voice and image on the other end.

* * *

In his command center, Khyron heard the ping go off on his monitor. Tapping a button, he saw the image of his operative Pyoto come up on screen.

"My Lord," Pyoto stated with a bow. "I have the information you requested." A slight hissing sound came up as the information was downloaded from the communicator to Khyron's station.

"Excellent. I just received it. You have done well, Pyoto. Stay undercover for the time being and await my signal."

"As you command, my Lord." With that the screen went dead. Khyron smiled as he looked over the information that had arrived. Azonia was standing off to the side and walked over as soon as the conversation had ended.

"Another scheme, Khyron? Hopefully it goes over better than the last one did."

A frown came over Khyron's face as he felt his temper rise. "Silence, Azonia. This plan is a bit different. I've decided against the more, ahem, subtle ideas we have used prior."

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Simple, if they won't be nice and hand it over, we just blast it and take what's ours."

Azonia smiled as she heard this. _Finally, he's going ahead and doing this as we should have from the beginning,_ she thought. As she looked down, she did a quick double take as she noticed the schematics were not that of Zor's flagship.

"What manner of craft is this?"

"The Micronians are building a larger version of Zor's flagship. Well, they'll be moving that matrix over from Zor's craft to this new one. If we were to, say, damage this craft enough to leave the matrix exposed, we could just swoop in, take it, and leave."

"This is the best plan you've had yet. If it means leaving this primitive rock, I'm all for it."

Khyron smiled. "Indeed. It would be a win-win for us. We'd have the matrix, and they would be down two fortresses. And without another matrix, they'd be defenseless when we return from Tirol."

"That's our plan? Go to the Masters after leaving?"

"Of course, and we would succeed where that fool Dolza failed. Enough that the Masters would put **me** in command to scour this world again!"

Azonia took a skeptical look at her colleague. _I am not sure I like this idea of him being in charge of the armies,_ she thought. _But, as the Micronians put it, I am kind of along for the ride here._

"No matter, that is for the future," Khyron continued. "Now, we have to take care of this little matter before us." He clicked on one of the buttons on the console. A screen popped up with one of his top men.

"Gerao! Prepare for our next move! Arm the missiles and point them at these coordinates!"

"As you wish, my Lord. Shall we use reflex warheads or conventional?"

"Conventional. We don't want to overly damage our prize. Be ready to launch in twelve standard hours!"

"As you command." The screen went dead with a snap. Khyron turned to Azonia and smiled. "We shall get our matrix back, and we'll do it with a bang."

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear over New Macross. Over at the bridge area of the SDF-2, Lieutenant Claudia Grant was putting the new morning shift through the paces of the day to day operations of the Command structure. Taking a sip of her coffee, she looked over the itinerary of the day. _No Lisa, No Rick. The Sterlings are on patrol out over New St. Louis, Dixon has the nuggets for Skull going through the sims today, and Wilcox and Rapier are with the Admiral on their way over to Monument,_ she read quickly. _Looks like I'm on tap for a quiet day._

* * *

Back at his house, Rick noticed that Lisa was wearing the earrings he had been able to pick up for Christmas. _The look on her face when I gave those to her was worth it,_ he smiled as he took a good sized sip of his morning coffee. _She even told me she spied those in the store right before the little incident a few weeks ago and saw the 'Sold' tag. Little did she know._ Rick's thoughts were interrupted by a lithe figure wrapping her arms around him and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Sleep well, Flyboy?"

"Well, when you let me sleep, Forever Girl," he responded with a sly grin.

Lisa smiled back. _Content. That's what I am. I have the right guy by my side, and in a few months, we go on an adventure of a lifetime. No better person to have with me on that trip,_ she thought. "I'm not complaining. And by last night's reaction, I doubt you were either," she added with a mischievous wink.

"Point taken," he said with a smile. _If I didn't know better, she kept that little note too,_ he thought. _I've learned three things so far; she's got a dirtier mind than I do, she's not shy, and she's a hell of a lot more flexible than I thought. Win, win, and win._

"So, Rick. What's on the schedule today?"

"Well, I figure, we go hit the grocery store so I can finally get around to making that chicken marsala you've been craving, head over to MacArthur Park, walk around, get a bite to eat, take in the sights, and then head back here for a good quality home cooked meal, followed by attempting to watch a movie and end up making out on the couch."

"Well, I think I can fit that in my schedule," she answered with a sly grin.

* * *

Much farther away from New Macross, the calm of a command center of a crashed Zentraedi ship was broken by a viewscreen coming to life. Khyron noticed this and checked the chronometer nearby. _Right on time,_ he thought.

"Go ahead, Gerao," he intoned.

"My Lord, the missiles are ready. Do we have the coordinates where we're targeting."

"I am sending them now. There are four listed."

Gerao had a surprised look on his face. "My Lord, three of them are practically on top of one another."

Khyron returned the surprised look of his subordinate with one of disdain. "Your point? Just follow orders, do I make myself clear?"

"Ye..ye..yes, my Lord," Gerao stammered back. Khyron watched as he punched in the coordinates and confirmed the entry. Keying one more button, a red light came on behind Gerao.

"My Lord, launch will commence...Now."

"Thank you, Gerao," Keying the screen closed, Khyron turned to Azonia. "You may want to pull up a chair. I think you may enjoy my fireworks display. Although, our friends may not." On the screen in front of them were the contrails of four missiles, arcing their way towards their destinations.

* * *

For the lone techs stationed at the Windtalker station situated in the middle of the West Texas plains, it was proving to be another quiet day on the onset. The station, one of many that dotted the North American landscape, served as the eyes and ears of the RDF on any possible activity for either terrestrial or beyond. This particular station, named Comanche, had not seen much of any activity since it was set up nearly two years prior.

However, that was about to change.

It started innocently enough when one of the techs noticed some increased activity on one of his scanners. Wasting no time, the tech, an Ensign Cooper, called on his supervisor without any hesitation.

"Hey Gunny, I got some activity here. Seeing some fast moving unknowns heading up from the south."

The officer on watch, Gunnery Sergeant Torres, walked over with a sense of urgency.

"Any idea what they are, Ensign? I don't want to be calling over to Command if some of the jet jockeys are doing something silly."

The ensign tapped a few of the buttons at his console and looked over the results. His eyes went wide.

"Sir! Definite Vampires! Got three of 'em tracking to the north and west at five-zero-six."

 _Mother of God,_ Torres thought. _Someone's getting really cute today._ "Any trace on them?"

"No, sir. No nuke trace and no reflex trace. Looks like they're conventional."

Turning to another one of the techs, Torres took swift action. "Bowers! Plot those courses ASAP!"

"One step ahead of ya, Gunny!" the tech shouted back. On the main viewscreen in the room, a map of North America appeared with the tracking of the missiles.

"Holy crap! They're headed straight at Macross!"

Wasting no time, he punched a button on the console nearby.

* * *

On the bridge, Claudia looked over things and smiled. _So far, it's been smooth,_ she thought. _Khyron and his friends are cooperating and keeping quiet. At least it's letting the newer crew members get used to things._

A buzz on the console broke her chain of thought. Looking down at where the beacon was originating, she felt the good mood she had been enjoying fade. Tapping at the button in front of her, she braced herself for the news.

"Command, this is Comanche Station. Be advised we have three inbound Vampires heading at course five-zero-six. Looks like they're heading your way. Thankfully, they're not nukes or reflex warheads, but they're still going to pack a punch."

"Thank you, Comanche. We'll take care of these."

Without hesitation, Claudia looked at the crew and barked out an order she knew all too well. "Battle stations, people! We have inbound missiles heading our way!"

Tapping another button, she brought up another screen.

* * *

In the aftermath of the attacks on the Earth by Dolza's fleet, the UEG and RDF found themselves having to rebuild the defenses around the planet. One of the newer innovations was a ring of anti-missile defenses that were set up around both New Macross and Monument. Spreading out about one hundred and fifty kilometers from the two cities, the command of what was dubbed the Iron Sword was based in outskirts of New Edmonton. The modestly sized command post was based in what had been a rather large shopping mall before the Rain of Death destroyed it and most of the city in the process.

Inside of the command post, the soldiers on watch kept their eyes on the latest radar and satellite trackings, monitoring everything that could potentially be considered a threat. It was with no surprise at that as soon as the blips came up on the radar, the call came in from Macross.

At his post, Major Brantley Anderson, nicknamed Moose by his men, saw the red light come up on the console. _If that's pinging, it's probably going to be time to go to work,_ he thought. Tapping the button, he saw the image of Claudia Grant come up on the screen.

"Iron Sword, this is Lieutenant Grant at Macross Command. We have three inbound heading right for us."

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant. We're already on it here." Turning around, Anderson barked out his orders. "Track those Vampires and splash 'em. Nothing gets through to Macross. Once you have the lock, let 'em fly, kids!"

The Iron Sword command center became a buzz of activity as the incoming threats were being tracked and solutions being plotted. However, the activity became a bit more frantic when one of the techs at the facility noticed something.

"Sir! There's one more that they forgot about."

"What's it track, ensign? And can we get it?"

The Ensign looked frantically. "Sir! It's bearing is zero-three-eight! Closing rapidly!"

Anderson felt his stomach drop. _Whoever planned this was good, really good,_ he thought. "Open up with everything we got on that one Vampire!"

Another tech yelled over. "Sir, it's already past the line!"

"Impact in ten seconds!"

Anderson, in one of his final actions, yelled out. "ALL HANDS, GET COVER NOW!"

* * *

Claudia watched the events on the screen in front of her with a sense of horror. The picture of the Major changed to one of a very bright flash, followed by static and a black screen. Iron Sword had been swiftly and effectively taken out by a direct missile strike. The defense ring around New Macross and Monument was now blind and useless.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to the Signals tech. "How much time do we have?"

"Looks like we have about five minutes before they arrive, ma'am."

"Scramble the fighters to see if they can intercept."

"Yes, ma'am!" Within seconds, alarms and klaxons started blaring all over Macross Command as the remaining fighters on base were scrambled immediately.

Turning to another of the techs, Claudia sighed as she made her next decision. "Get the air raid sirens going. We're going to need the civilians to get to the shelters in case we can't stop these from coming in." _First time in three years we've had to use these,_ she thought. _It was something I hoped to never hear again._

Clearing her throat, she stepped forward to the console and flipped a switch to make an open communication out.

* * *

At MacArthur Park, Rick and Lisa were enjoying the day and taking in the views of the city from the heights of the park. At the overlook, they looked over at the sprawl of New Macross, and the SDF-1 in Lake Gloval. Nearby, a family was taking in the same views, when one of the children noticed something.

"Daddy, look! Planes!"

"Yes, Timmy. It's the RDF planes from the base."

"There's a lot of 'em!"

Rick and Lisa both caught wind of that comment and walked over to the observation area. _There's a lot of activity going on down there,_ he thought as he saw multiple fighters streaking off. Looking at Lisa, he could see the same concerned look come over her that he was currently wearing.

"Do we even want to know what's going on?" she asked.

Her question was answered a second later as the sharp whine of the air raid siren came up. Over one of the loudspeakers, they could hear Claudia's calm voice making an announcement.

"Attention citizens of New Macross. This is Macross Command. We have detected an inbound threat to the city. Please make your way to the nearest emergency shelter and await further instructions. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

"Answered that question," Lisa muttered. Looking over, she saw the sign pointing to a nearby shelter. Motioning to the family near them, she called out, "The shelter's over this way. I think we'd better go."

Rick nodded and helped lead some of the others nearby towards the relative safety of the shelters. Giving Lisa's hand a quick squeeze once inside, Rick started with a silent prayer for his friends and colleagues at Command. It was one Lisa joined in with without hesitation.

* * *

"Alright, kids. Get a track on those Vampires and if you get a clear shot, put em down!"

Looking down at the TacNet, Ben got quick acknowledgement from the contingent of pilots he had with him. Within a few seconds, he heard some chatter come up over the Comm.

"Hey Sloth, got one of 'em coming in pretty quick. Trying to get a lock on it."

"Keep on it, Plankton," Ben responded. "Nibs, any luck your side?"

"Nothing yet, Sloth," Amelia hesitated for a second. "Wait, got one coming in like a bat outta hell now! Closing in and prepping to put a wooden stake in it!"

 _Damnit, where's that third one?_ Ben thought as he pushed the Veritech forward. It was then he noticed that the last missile had closed the gap between him and the city rapidly and was starting its descent. "OK, got that last one. Time to dust this bastard!"

Flipping a switch, he waited for a ping from the targeting system to confirm the lock. The tone came back, bringing a smile to his face. _Once again, you lose, Khyron,_ he thought as he grasped the trigger. "Skull Three here. I have a tone and lock. Skull Three, FOX TWO!" A contrail shot out from under the wing as a Wildfire missile streaked towards the target.

Over the comm, he could hear the calls from the others.

"Got tone. Got lock. Skull Seven, FOX THREE!" Baker shouted out.

"Tone. Lock. Skull Eleven, FOX ONE!" Amelia added.

The missiles fired closed the gap rapidly towards the inbound dangers.

* * *

"Looks like the Micronians compensated for you taking out their defensive structure," Azonia snorted as she watched the Veritechs making their attempt to eliminate the threat.

"Looks can be deceiving, my dear Azonia," Khyron sneered. "I did take this eventuality into mind. I'm sure our friends will enjoy the surprise."

* * *

A split second before Ben's Wildfire missile impacted with the body of the inbound missile, the warhead split open, producing an array of a hundred smaller, but equally lethal missiles. The newer, smaller inbound threats streaked out from the warhead zooming their way toward their target like a swarm of angry wasps.

The behavior was repeated on the other two missiles, causing a sense of horror and shock among the pilots who thought they had been able to staunch the threat.

"Jesus! They knew that was coming!" Ben spat out. "Command! You guys should get the hell out of there!"

* * *

Hearing Ben's report caused Claudia's heart to sink. Looking over at the crew manning the bridge, she began to feel a bit of regret. _We failed on this one. Forgive me._ Turning to the crew, Claudia took a deep breath and barked out an order.

"All hands! Abandon the bridge! We're about to get hit and hit hard!"

One of the crew leaving turned to Claudia. "Lieutenant Grant! You should be coming as well!"

She shook her head. "My place is here. Get clear, Ensign! And that's an order!"

The ensign saluted sadly and left. Claudia took a deep breath and re-opened the line to the TacNet.

"Skull Squadron, get clear of here. This is going to get a little rough around these parts!"

Ben came back over the TacNet. "Lieutenant, what the hell are you doing? Get out of there!"

Claudia shook her head sadly. "No. Someone's got to man this thing. Do me a favor, Dixon. Tell Rick and Lisa I'm sorry I'm going to miss the wedding. And tell Rick Roy says about damn time."

Ben blinked back a tear and sighed. "Will do, El Tee. It's been an honor, ma'am." He flipped her a salute before the screen went black.

As the first of the mini missiles started to impact, Claudia closed her eyes. She could see a familiar face walking towards her in the now brightening while light.

 _"Hey beautiful. I think it's time to go."_

 _"Lead the way, flyboy."_

An intense heat and sharp quick pain rolled through Claudia before all was quiet.

* * *

 _I wonder how much trouble I'm going to get in for doing this,_ Wilcox thought as he ran through the corridors of the RDF Command in Monument City. He and the rest of Rapier Squadron were along with Admiral Gloval as an escort while the Admiral hashed out some last minute details about the upcoming launch of the SDF-2. It would also give Wilcox a chance to familiarize himself with the upper echelon of the command structure as he was slated to be the new CAG at Macross Command once Rick and the others departed. However, he had been waiting out a very high level meeting in the communications array and had been watching the situation back at home unfold. _Truth be told, this is something that can't wait._

As he came up to the doors, he saw Lieutenant Emerson standing outside. Much like Wilcox, he was on the outside looking in as Colonel Leonard was in on the meeting as well.

"Tom, what's going on? You seem in a rush."

"It ain't good, Rolf, that's for damn sure. Someone just got cute and attacked the Deuce!"

Emerson stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"Yeah, and they also took out Iron Sword in the process."

A feeling of dread came over Emerson. "Let me guess..."

"Big Ugly? Probably right. Definitely seems like his MO."

Wilcox stopped in his tracks as one of the monitors had a live feed from MBS on.

"My God..."

The pictures from the ground were not pretty as the mini-missiles rained down on the superstructure of the SDF-2. With each impact, the ship weakened further and further. Quite a few had rained down on the bridge area, which was now a column of melted steel and flame shooting into the sky. More explosions wracked the once proud future flagship, causing the ship to break into four or five significant pieces and begin to sink into Lake Gloval.

Emerson looked in pure horror, putting his hand to his mouth.

Wilcox turned to Emerson. "Come on, Rolf. Both of our bosses are gonna want the latest."

* * *

As the all-clear signal came over the loudspeakers, the first thing Rick and Lisa noticed was that the announcement was being made by a much different voice. _Unless Claudia just became Claude, this is not good at all,_ Rick thought as he and Lisa made their way to the exit.

It was there that they saw what had happened.

"Holy crap..." Rick sat there dumbfounded, amazed that the large ship that had been there just fifteen minutes ago was now a blazing wreck.

Lisa was horrified and then it hit her. _CLAUDIA! NO!_ She brought her hand to her mouth and began to feel tears welling up. Attempting to stifle a sob, she leaned towards Rick and buried her head in his chest.

Realizing what had happened and who was on duty, the wave of emotion hit Rick as well. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he looked over at the scene from the observation deck. His one free hand clenched into a fist. _First you try to goad me, then you attack the woman I love, then you kill a member of my family,_ Rick thought. _Khyron, this has gone way beyond personal, you son of a bitch. I will be ensuring your death soon enough. Count on it._

Taking a deep breath, he looked up to the sky. _Bye, Big Sis. At least you're with Roy again._

He then looked down at Lisa, who was looking back at him with a look of anguish and anger. With a silent nod, the two RDF officers walked from the observation deck towards the exit of the park, and towards picking up the pieces.


	23. Line In The Sand

Reviews...

 **sscaldwe** \- Glad you liked the last two chapters! Took a bit but they finally got on the same page :) And it was my intent to have Minmei exit the scene of the World's Most Famous Love Triangle in that manner. It was sign of her turning the corner towards a bit of maturity which could be developed a bit more over time (did I just drop a potential hint about future plans? Could be..). As for Claudia, yeah, it was a bit of a downer to have her exit the scene at this point, but she was the one character that it made the most sense to remove in such a manner. And yes, the vision at the end was pure Roy. Khyron's fate is coming up and it will be worth reading.

 **Adena McGee** \- Yeah, for every up, there's a down. There was no way everyone was going to get through this (it is war, after all), and as I explained, Claudia was the most likely victim here. Didn't relish it, but it fit the flow of the story. As for the unraveling, read on. This upcoming chapter will put everything into focus.

 **jag389** \- Yeah, they're not winning any popularity contests right now. Claudia will play a role at the end of the story, that's a guarantee. And yeah, Rick is ready to go ahead with paying our large purple friend back in droves.

 **IdiAmeanDada** \- Welcome aboard! Glad you enjoyed most of it. Yeah, it did get a little wild there for a bit as I had Minmei playing the diva card quite a bit and had Lisa be a bit more territorial than in the series. I can assure you that the worst of it is done and things will reflect that as the story wraps up. As for Claudia, it made the most sense doing it this way as opposed to the end of the series where the whole bridge crew minus Lisa buys it at the end (as you can tell, I'm not a fan of that ending...at least in the original from Japan, its implied they all survived).

 **theGhostflyer** \- Yeah, he pretty much signed his death warrant and punched his ticket for an all expense paid one way trip to the afterlife if Rick and the RDF have their say. The next chapter will pretty much tell the tale of the fate of the Deuce. Glad you liked that part and once again, being an inspiration for the oneshots is an honor lol. As for defenses, the Deuce was still under construction in this story and the defenses weren't totally online as of yet. Plus, there was an over-reliance on the Iron Sword as shown in the last chapter. Thanks for the kind words on how it was handled.

* * *

We're getting closer to the finale (sad to say), but I've been doing some early preliminary work on a possible sequel (or two) for this. There's some events in this chapter that definitely start laying the groundwork for a sequel, but events are starting to come to a head and a final confrontation is looming.

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty Three – Line In The Sand**

As they approached Macross Command, Lisa and Rick saw that it was in state of somewhat organized chaos. Rescue and recovery personnel swarmed towards the ruined SDF-2 in the hopes of finding any other survivors. The base's component of Veritech fighters kept a very prominent profile in the skies above the base. Ground forces were deployed everywhere they could be thought of. Looking at the increased security and the plumes of smoke in the background gave both officers some pause and also had strengthened their resolve.

An MP ran over to the two officers and snapped a brisk salute before stating, "Sir, ma'am, your orders?"

Rick and Lisa looked at each other with a sense of puzzlement. _The Admiral and Leonard are in Monument, which would mean Maistroff is the ranking officer,_ Lisa thought. _But if they're running over to us..._ A sense of dread came over Lisa as she asked the next question. "At ease, Corporal. What's our situation?"

"Ma'am, right now it appears that the SDF-2 took a catastrophic hit. We're still trying to assess who was able to make it off and who wasn't. Right now, to be brutally honest, it really isn't looking good."

Lisa sighed. "Any word from Colonel Maistroff?"

"None yet, ma'am. According to his orderly, he may have been on board when the attack came. If that's the case.."

Lisa nodded, then steeled herself for the answer to the next question. "And the bridge?"

"Some of the bridge crew managed to escape. However, the highest ranking officer that got off the bridge was a sergeant."

The realization hit Lisa like a wave hitting a rock. Bowing her head for a second, it confirmed what she had a feeling had happened. Rick stood next to her and put an arm around her shoulder and nodded to the MP. The MP, taking what appeared to be a hint, saluted and moved on with his duties. Turning towards Lisa, Rick sighed. "Not the news either of us wanted to hear," he said softly.

Lisa could only nod sadly, then looked up at Rick with a look of determination and anger. Rick noticed that her eyes were flaring a bright green. _I've seen that look before,_ he thought. _Hell, I've triggered a few of those. Khyron, you just opened Pandora's Box._

"You know your dad had that saying of 'it's business, not personal', Rick?" Lisa said evenly, but with an undertone of menace. "My dad had one too. 'Avenge the fallen, then mourn.' That is exactly what we're going to do and it's what she would have wanted us to do. First, we call the Admiral and update him on what's going on. After that, well, we have some planning to do."

Rick nodded and looked back at Lisa with the same steely determination. As they walked towards the bank of offices that connected the air wing with the rest of the base, Rick raised an important question.

"We going on offense or defense on this one?"

"A little of both," Lisa responded. "We still have no idea where he's hiding. And knowing his usual style, he'll be showing up soon enough."

Rick grimaced. "That's the problem. We've anticipated his moves, yet he's still been able to succeed in some regard. He's just thrown those tiny wrinkles in there that have been enough to throw things off."

"Well, I think we may have to make another call this time. To someone we should have called in from the beginning."

Knowing what Lisa was speaking of, Rick could only nod. _Probably would have saved us a lot more trouble if we did,_ he thought.

* * *

Khyron sat on the bridge of his ship, watching the coverage of the attack on the SDF-2 with a smile. Azonia stood nearby, also smiling at the recent turn of events.

"I would say that the Micronians got the message you sent, Khyron."

Khyron turned towards his counterpart with a smile. "That was just the beginning, Azonia. There's more to come that our friends in New Macross may not find to their liking." He tapped one of the buttons at the console. An image of Grel came up on the screen.

"Grel, how much longer do we have?"

"About one standard hour, my Lord."

"Excellent. Everything is in readiness?"

"It is. The crew and warriors have been briefed. They know what is at stake."

"I will be going ahead and executing the next part of the plan. Is our package loaded?"

Grel nodded. "Ready for delivery. Our colleagues await for our signal and await further instructions."

"Excellent. Once we are underway, we will go ahead with the next part."

"As you command, my Lord." With that, the screen went dark.

Azonia turned to Khyron with a puzzled look. "I can safely assume that this ship will be fully operational shortly and we will be getting that matrix from the Micronians?"

Khyron nodded. "That is the current plan, but I have something else I decided to add to it at the last minute."

Rising from his seat, he motioned to her to follow. Walking off of the bridge, they headed into one of the corridors nearby towards a dimly lit room at the end of the hall.

Azonia's curiosity was piqued as they walked closer. "Dare I ask what you have in store for them?"

"Just wait and see," he said with a wry smirk. Placing his hand on a scanner, a short beam transversed his palm, referencing it against what was stored in a memory bank. The scanner detected a match and blinked green. With that the door slid open.

Inside, there were three large cylinders that appeared to be full of liquid and with a hazy form in each. Azonia took this in and understood what Khyron had been implying and smiled. Khyron also had a smile on his face as he took in the sights of the room.

"I have to admit, Khyron, your treachery towards our enemies knows no bounds. I am impressed."

"They may think they have a chance of winning," he said with a laugh. "That will make defeating them all the sweeter. In a few short hours, we shall be rendering these primitives irrelevant on the universal stage once and for all. We will finish what Dolza could not achieve. The Masters will be most pleased with the result."

Laughter began to fill the semi-lit room.

* * *

In one of the ready rooms nearby the hangars, Rick and Lisa had begun the process of reaching out to Monument to Admiral Gloval to appraise him of the latest regarding the attack It was just then that they noticed that Ben came walking in, followed very closely by Max and Miriya, who had just arrived back on base from their patrol.

"We cut it short once the word came out the missiles were in the air, Rick," Max stated flatly. "Guessing you and the Captain decided your day off ended about the same time."

Both Rick and Lisa nodded, with Rick speaking up afterwords. "Yeah. We unfortunately had a great view of the fireworks from MacArthur Park."

Ben had a look of disappointment on his face. "I could have sworn we had those missiles dead to rights. Never expected what happened next."

Lisa turned towards Ben. "It wasn't your fault, Ben. You had no idea that they had those kind of warheads in place. Neither you, Ameila, or Baker should be blaming yourselves at all."

"You can keep on telling me that, ma'am. Believing that is a different story." Looking over at Rick, Ben had a look of raw determination. "Boss, whatever it is that's being planned for Big Ugly, count me in. And I speak for Nibs and Baker as well."

"Don't worry, Ben," Rick responded. "We're all going to get our chance soon enough."

One of the techs turned to Lisa and saluted quickly. "Ma'am, we just got word from Monument that Admiral Gloval and Rapier Squadron are on their way back to Macross Command. They should be here in about an hour. Do we still want to patch over to the shuttle?"

Lisa nodded. "Better to get him up to speed now rather than wait. May want to patch Lieutenant Commander Wilcox in as well. He'll want to know as well."

The screen in the front of the room lit up and the visage of a very angry Admiral Gloval came across. "Captain Hayes, what's our current situation?"

Lisa grabbed some of the papers in front of her and stood up with a very grim look on her face. "Admiral, it's not good, that's for sure. The SDF-2, from early reports, appears to be a complete loss at this point. The ship's superstructure took massive damage from the missile attack and the ensuing explosions from the missile contents, ordinance stored on the ship, and other materials caused the failures. From there, it pretty much broke apart and has sank to the bottom of Lake Gloval. Recovery efforts are underway as we speak to salvage what we can."

"A total loss," he muttered while shaking his head. _Our enemy knew where to hit. Our situation is graver than we imagined,_ he thought. Taking a puff of his pipe, the Admiral continued.

"I did hear there was a fourth missile that was launched at the same time. We conjectured it targeted the Iron Sword command center in New Edmonton."

Lisa nodded. "Reports are that Iron Sword went down about ten minutes before the missiles came in range of the batteries. Whoever planned this, they knew where to hit and where the weak points were."

"Now to my next question, and one I'm dreading. Casualties?"

Lisa steeled herself to go over this portion of the report. "Sir, at least five hundred workers and RDF personnel are currently unaccounted for and considered dead. Among the unaccounted are Colonel Maistroff..." Lisa's voice trailed off. She found herself fighting off tears as she announced the next part. "And Lieutenant Grant."

"Thundering asteroids!"

Max bowed his head and crossed himself at the news. Miriya shook her head and balled her hands into fists, muttering something in her native Tirolean.

Lisa sighed deeply before continuing. "The bridge area was one of the primary focuses of the attack. It was one of the first parts of the ship to be hit and was destroyed almost as quickly."

The Admiral nodded. "Do we have any idea where these missiles originated?"

Lisa pulled up a map and showed the trajectory. "Right now, it appears they may have originated in South America. Brazil quadrant to be exact."

"That's what Colonel Leonard thought as well. He's already en route to Fort Maracana to sweep the jungle areas nearby. He's bringing five battalions of Destroids with him and has one from the fort heading towards the likely launch spot. He was saying something about turning the jungle into Khyron's Stalingrad."

Rick shook his head. "Either that, or he's going to flush him out. Could get Khyron to show his hand a bit."

Gloval nodded. "Could be the case, Commander. Speaking of the air wing, what do you have planned?"

"Right now, sir, we're on a defensive posture until further notice," Rick pulled up a map and showed an arc that spread out from New Macross. "The ring here denotes one hundred kilometers from New Macross. This is our line in the sand. If we detect anything heading our way, we scramble when they hit the five hundred kilometer mark and set up waves to meet them. If they want the SDF-1, they're going to pay a price for trying."

"Like your thinking, Boss," Wilcox interjected over the audio. "So, basically we're playing Maginot Line here?"

"Thinking more Verdun, Paladin. _Ils ne passeront pas_ and all of that. Besides, bad analogy with the Maginot Line. The Krauts kinda took a detour through the Ardennes to avoid it. One of my grandfathers ended up in Normandy a few years later because of that."

"And knowing Big Ugly, he'll go right at the ramparts," Wilcox surmized. "By the way, did Nibs teach you that line?"

"Knew that one by heart, Tom. And yeah, that's what I'm kinda counting on from our old pal."

The Admiral nodded. "Sounds like you have something as you would say, on tap, Commander. All we need is for our friends to cooperate. Hopefully the great Anatoly Ivanovich will do his part." Checking over with someone else on the shuttle, the Admiral nodded quickly. "We are making our approach. I should be on the ground shortly."

Lisa stood back up. "Sir, I think once you get on the ground, we may want to reach out to Breetai and Exedore. Maybe see what insights they can lend."

Gloval smiled. "It is probably something we should have done earlier. And yes, I agree. Go ahead and tell Signals to reach out to them on the double."

With that, the transmission was closed. Lisa quickly turned to one of the techs nearby. "Go get Lieutenant Leeds in here on the double. We need to make a long distance call."

* * *

The jungle cover of the Amazon River was relatively unscathed in the attack on Earth by the Zentraedi fleet a few years prior. Nature's finite dance of survival continued unabated during and after the attack. However on this day, the sounds of the different residents of the rain forest were disturbed by the steady metal tromping of heavily armed Destroids of the RDF. Charged with investigating where the missile launch occurred, the green-colored Destroids of the 97th Mechanized Infantry, known as _Os falcões selvagens_ , were approaching with some trepidation.

In one of the lead mecha was the commander of the battalion, Major Horacio Alves, who was scanning over the area for any trace or sign of the launch. _Not a thing yet,_ he thought with a grimace. _These Zed Dee's are a sneaky bunch. Hiding in my floresta tropical! That is an insult. One that shall be repaid in full._

A call came in over the communications wave. "Sir! I think we may have found something! Burn traces about seventy meters off to the south and east."

"Excellent, corporal! Maintain your position." Flipping a switch, Alves called back to base. "Colonel, I think we found something. It's about seventy meters to the south and east of my current position."

The gruff voice of Colonel Leonard came over the comm. "Good work, Major. Any Zents about?"

 _"Negativo, Coronel Leonard._ Seems the _bastardos_ are staying quiet."

"Well, if they want to come out and play, feel free to oblige, Major."

"Understood, sir." Flipping the comm back to the feed for the battalion, Alves smiled. "OK, gentlemen. We have standing orders, if any Zent shows up, we give them _u_ _ma tradicional recepção brasileira_ , if you catch my drift."

* * *

Inside of the camouflaged ship, a proximity scanner alert started to go off. One of the Zentraedi techs checked the readings and tapped on a console in front of him.

"My Lord, we are detecting some Micronian mecha heading towards our location. Shall we intercept?"

On the other side of the console, Khyron smiled. "It appears our hiding spot has been found finally. Only took them three standard years to figure it out." Thinking for a second, Khyron nodded. "Send out a few pods. Let's see how our friends will react. Tell the pod pilots they can engage if they feel they have a good shot."

"As you command." The screen went dead.

Up at the top of the bridge, Khyron nodded to Azonia. Picking up a communicator, Khyron tapped in a code and spoke quickly as he and Azonia left the bridge area and out the door. None of the techs on the main floor paid it any mind as they came back in a few minutes later.

* * *

"Sir! Looks like we have some inbound. Counting about five closing in from the south."

 _Looks like we woke the neighbors up,_ Alves smiled. "OK gentlemen, fire when ready!"

The jungle began to reverberate with the sounds of ordinance being expelled by the Destroids and battle pods as a skirmish broke out. Blue energy bolts screamed out and smacked in to the ground, trees, and the occasional Destroid. In turn, the Destroids unloaded with whatever cannon fire they could towards the small contingent of pods sent forth.

* * *

"My Lord," an engineering tech announced. "The ship is ready. On your order."

Khyron nodded. _Time for the final curtain to rise, as the Micronians would say._ "All engines engage."

A steady whine came up and drowned out the natural sounds of the rain forest as the large ship began to rise off of the floor of the jungle.

* * *

"Looks like they're pulling back, Major!"

"Seems to be for a good reason, Nichols! I think we just found our ship."

The Destroids watched as the large ship began its rise upwards towards the rain forest canopy.

Alves barked out the next order quickly. "Well, what are you waiting for? _Natal?_ Open fire!"

The Destroids began unleashing a hail of shells and beam fire at the ship above them in an attempt to stop the liftoff. The shots smacked off of the thick hull of the ship as if they were raindrops.

* * *

"My Lord! The Micronians are firing on us!"

"Well, that's not being very nice," Khyron drawled. Tapping a button on the console, a dark smile came over his face. "Gunners, open fire on anything that moves on the ground! I want nothing but ashes below us!"

* * *

Alves looked up and saw the reflex cannons located on the belly of the ship starting to energize. A low hum began to drown out the frantic shouts of his men as they tried to scatter before the ship above them opened fire. Realizing that time was well short to evacuate to a safe location, Alves snarled and spat out a curse as he unleashed everything the Destroid had. _I may die, but I'll make sure you do as well,_ he thought. Just then, a bright white light enveloped him and an intense heat came over the Destroid before everything went black.

* * *

At Fort Maracana, Colonel Leonard looked on in horror as the reflex cannon fired repeatedly at the 97th Mechanized, decimating the force within seconds. Turning to one of the techs, he had a stern grimace on his face as he took in the information as it was fed from the monitoring stations nearby.

"Get Macross on the horn right **now**!"

The tech, not hesitating, made the connection quickly and transferred the communication to the console nearest to the Colonel.

* * *

In the briefing room at Macross Command, Admiral Gloval had arrived and joined with the others already assembled. Quickly, a transmission was made to one of the Zentraedi ships orbiting near the Earth. The screen came alive with the image of Breetai and Exedore, two of the RDF's staunchest allies since the close of hostilities with Dolza's fleet.

"Admiral," Breetai intoned with a booming bass sound. "We were wondering when you would be contacting us regarding Khyron's actions."

"It was something, in light of his recent tactics, we would have been able to handle. It seems, however, we were highly mistaken."

Exedore shook his head. "The tactics Khyron has been using, I assume they were native to your planet?"

Gloval nodded. "They were commonplace among separatist groups during the Earth Civil Wars before the arrival of the SDF-1. I had some experience fighting in this manner."

Breetai looked to be in thought. "It would be assumed Khyron got a hold of some archival material of these tactics."

Lisa nodded. "It does appear to be the case."

"Captain Hayes, Exedore and I are glad to see you are well after the incident in New Macross. The same goes for Miriya as well."

Both Lisa and Miriya nodded and thanked the Zentraedi commander.

Breetai then turned to Rick. "Commander Hunter, I do have to commend you for your quick actions in both the incident in New Boise and with the rescue of Captain Hayes and her associates."

Rick smiled and nodded. "Thank you, your excellency."

It was then that Vanessa broke in over the comm. "Admiral, I have a priority call coming from Fort Maracana. It's Colonel Leonard."

Admiral Gloval nodded and then rose. "Patch it through."

Static broke over the speakers before a quick click brought the voice of Colonel Leonard into the room.

"Henry, it's Anatole. It appears that _suka_ Khyron definitely had a ship hidden in the Amazon. Our forces found the site of the missile launch, but were engaged by a number of pods. This looks to have gotten Khyron to launch the ship and then unleash some ordinance on our ground forces. It appears he just wiped out the 97th Mechanized. The main point is, he's airborne, and it appears he's heading your way. We'll be able to get a lead on this shortly."

Admiral Gloval sat back in his chair, feeling a bit deflated. "Thank you, Anatole. Let me know when you get a fix on his bearings."

* * *

Inside of the cruiser, Gerao looked at the situation and smiled. _Now for the next part,_ he thought as he brought up a screen.

"Your orders, sir?"

"Unleash the EMP! Downward arc!"

"As you command."

A hatch on the bottom of the ship opened and a bluish cylinder was expelled. As it approached the ground, the cylinder ripped apart in a flash, causing a wide blue arc to streak across the forested area and outward as far as the eye could see.

What was missed in all the confusion was something else deploying at the same time as the EMP, but heading upwards in the sky.

* * *

In the command center of Maracana, the situation changed from bad to worse as the scanners and communications arrays in the area surrounding where the Zentraedi cruiser was started to short and fail in spectacular fashion. Leonard noticed this immediately and bellowed out, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?"

One of the techs at the array stood up and threw his headset. "EMP just was shot off, Colonel. Everything in the area's deader than a doornail, sir."

Leonard muttered a very long and vile curse in his native Russian before returning to the console and the connection to Macross.

"Henry, it gets better. They just shot off an EMP and arced all our radar. Pretty much everything south of the Panama Canal is dark."

* * *

 _"Yob tvu mat!_ That is just wonderful news!"

The tone of the sarcasm in the statement made by Admiral Gloval was not lost on anyone. Even Breetai and Exedore could feel the obvious anger fueling the statement from their Micronian ally.

The silence in the room was broken by Rick. "Admiral, I think we should get everything set. Radar or no radar, I don't think it's much of a stretch to think that he's coming our way."

Admiral Gloval nodded. "Agreed, Commander. I would say you and your pilots should get together as soon as possible. And unlike Star Saver, nothing is to be spared this time."

Rick nodded and rose. Saluting quickly, he turned to Max, Ben, Miriya, and Wilcox and started towards the door. Looking over at Miriya, he stopped in his tracks and turned around quickly to address their allies on the viewscreen.

"Breetai, Exedore, I just had an idea. Would you have any knowledge of what kind of cruiser Khyron has?"

On the viewscreen, Exedore nodded. "Indeed, Commander. We can beam down a copy of the schematics for you. I would believe that Second Lieutenant Sterling may be familiar with this craft as it was Azonia's flagship."

Miriya smiled. "You are correct, Excellency. It was, as the Micronians say, my old stomping grounds. And if I have an idea of what Commander Hunter has in mind, I will be doing plenty of stomping again," adding a feral smile to punctuate her point.

On the screen, Breetai smiled as he started to get an idea of what Rick was planning. "Commander, if you are planning to do what I think you are, it would be dangerous, but would catch that madman by surprise and give your other forces a better chance of winning."

Lisa looked at Rick quizzically, then turned to Admiral Gloval, who motioned to her to follow the pilots out of the room.

After the others had left, Gloval observed his two Zentraedi allies and took a puff of his pipe. Expelling the smoke into the air above, the Admiral had been pondering what Rick had in store for the advancing threat. Giving voice to it, Gloval did not hesitate.

"Your excellency, I gather you have an idea of what my Air Wing Commander has in mind for Khyron's ship?"

"If he does what I think he may," Breetai opined. "He would be using an old Zentraedi tactic. When under attack, attack before the enemy realizes what is going on."

"Or an old Russian one," Gloval added.

* * *

The group had assembled not too far away in Rick's office. On a viewscreen on the wall was the schematic of the cruiser that Khyron was confirmed to be using. Miriya stood by the viewscreen, studying the layout and acting as an unofficial translator as the schematic was in Tirolian. Max, Ben, and Wilcox took positions in the chairs and sofa in the room. Rick sat at his desk, with Lisa standing next to him, still trying to figure out what exactly he was planning.

Lisa turned to Rick and said in a soft voice, "What exactly do you have up your sleeve here?"

"It was something that kind of just came to me. I kind of thought back to that time when you, Max, Ben, and myself were on Breetai's ship. If the four of us could wreak enough havoc on a fully crewed Zentraedi cruiser, imagine what a few of us could do on a skeleton staffed ship?"

Max and Ben nodded at Rick mentioning that particular adventure. "It actually wasn't too hard to blend in while in the Veritech," Max added.

Lisa smiled. "And it's something I doubt Khyron would have been privy to."

Miriya nodded. "None of the forces knew about it. I didn't even know about it until Maximillian told me. Being a bit skeptical, I did talk to Lieutenant Dixon and Commander Hunter, who verified it."

"But you never brought it up to me," Lisa shot back with a smirk.

Wilcox sat back and smiled. "Yeah, we all heard about this one. How Rick went one on one with Breetai and threw him out of an air lock, only to eat a steel bar after he got back in."

"Ben was supposed to have my six," Rick responded with a smile.

"Don't blame me. I was just as amazed he was able to get back in to the ship after you chucked him outside."

"Let's just say I'm glad Breetai's on our side now," Rick said. Turning his attention to Miriya, Rick stood up. "OK, we have the schematics of the ship provided to us by the previously mentioned Lord Breetai and Exedore. If we wanted to completely ruin Khyron's plans, where would be the best places for a few Veritechs to show up?"

Miriya smiled and clicked a button and three areas were highlighted. "Simple, you would want to hit the shield generators, located here," she punctuated by pointing to one of the rooms. "Taking these out leaves the ship rather vulnerable. Next, the weapons control, which is over here." Miriya pointed at another room. "It would make Khyron's life difficult if he cannot return fire," adding a sly smirk. Last, she motioned to a third area. "The most important location, though, is the navigation control. Here, we could go ahead and change his course away from New Macross to a more suitable location."

"Like a quick fold into the sun," Lisa muttered.

Rick smiled at the thought. "Not a bad idea, but in case the fold engines were damaged when it landed a few years ago, we may have to do something else."

Lisa got up and looked out the window. The SDF-1 still stood proudly in Lake Gloval as the crews continued to go over the wreckage of the SDF-2. _I think I know what you're implying here, Rick,_ she thought. Giving voice to her thoughts, she turned around to the others.

"I'll need to contact the Admiral," she stated. Turning to Rick, she smiled as she walked over to his desk. "Mind if I borrow your phone?"

"Sure, just put it on speaker. I'm sure he'll want to hear from me on this one too."

* * *

After finishing his conversation with Breetai and Exedore, Admiral Gloval had retired to his office. Sitting back at his desk with his pipe resting on the top and a small tumbler of vodka, the Admiral replayed the events of the day in his head. _That lunatic is on his way here in a rather large Zentraedi cruiser with the fullest intent of either taking the SDF-1 or laying waste to it and the city._ Taking a sip of the vodka, he smiled at the reaction of his officers. _Hunter was right, this is the time we draw a line in the sand. Not one more step back._ The sharp ring of the phone at his desk cut his thoughts short. Checking the extension, he saw it was coming from Rick's office. _Rick and Lisa must have come up with something equally audacious and insane. Time to find out what these two have in mind now._

"Admiral Gloval."

"Sir, it's Captain Hayes. I have Commander Hunter with me. We have an idea for how to stop this current attempt."

"Go ahead."

Rick came over the phone. "Sir, I'm proposing have a few of the fighters break off from the main defense and take the fight right to Khyron on his ship. Miriya was able to pinpoint some areas we should be able to disable, lessening the threat. However, there is one other factor that's come into play. Namely, it could be a suicide run."

 _So it appears Khyron studied his history well,_ Gloval thought. "How are you proposing to mitigate that factor?"

Lisa came back on the line. "Sir, we may have to reactivate the SDF-1."

"Bring the _Staraya Ledi_ back to defend the Earth one more time? I will have to contact Dr. Lang to see what sort of miracles he can work. But I do see what you want to do here. Excellent work. Consider the plan a go. Any ideas for an operation name on this one?"

Rick spoke up again. "I was thinking Operation Thermopylae, sir."

Gloval nodded. "Approved, Commander. And nice touch."

"Guess we're playing the roles of the Spartans in this one."

"It's not too late to change your call sign to Leonidas, Rick," Lisa said with a bit of mirth behind it.

"Commander," the Admiral intoned, getting things back on track. "Get your men and women together and brief them on the particulars. I guess you already have your strike team in mind."

"That I do, sir. And, either way, sir. This ends today."

"Agreed, Rick. Good luck. And Captain, you may want to get here on the double. I believe we have a bridge that needs re-activating."

"On my way, sir." With that, the phone went dead. The Admiral rose from his desk and thought of something he heard his beloved _dedushka_ Ilya tell him about his time with the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War against the Germans.

 _As Marshal Zhukov said, 'If they attack, we shall defend. If they do not attack until winter, then we shall and we will tear them to shreds.' Dedushka was part of the forces the Marshal called in from Siberia to surprise the Wehrmacht at the gates of the Kremlin._ Looking outside, Gloval felt a sinister smile come across his face as he thought of the surprise that was about to befall his adversary. _Well, Khyron, winter is coming._


	24. Storming The Castle

Reviews...

 **Adena McGee** \- Thanks! A well thought out plan and seeing the logic behind it I think adds a bit to the story. Don't get me wrong, I do like the run-n-gun aspect as well, but in a story like this, I wanted to give some insights as to how Gloval, Rick, Khyron, and the others were thinking when things went down. And yeah, this coming battle is going to be EPIC.

 **sscaldwe** \- Thanks! I don't think our enemy here would be very predictable in his actions. I wanted to give him that edge of treachery. And as for what was unleashed with the EMP, that will be revealed in due time ;). Breetai and Exedore are only playing a very minor role in this part of the story. In future chapters, well, they'll be a bit more involved. Thanks! I was doing that on purpose as it was kind of similar as to the role I had the RDF play in this final attack. They're the ones on the pass trying to stop the war elephants (or in this case, a Zent cruiser). And well, the final battle still has some twists left to it.

 **jag389** \- Much appreciated! Yep, this final battle is going to be something to be seen.

 **theGhostflyer** \- Thanks sir! Well, we'll have to see about that, but it's kinda playing that way. Leonard's a bit of a conniver to say the least. More about that in the coming sequels. Thanks! I thought that was fitting as I have Rick being a bit of a military history buff in this story. Seems like something that would be up his alley. And yeah, I had Lisa take a page from her dad in that she's tough as nails when the time arises. Still plenty left to cover before this one is done. As for that challenge, gonna hit that up once I get this one done and the one-shots tied to it. I think you'll like what I have in store.

* * *

And we head back to the action. Things are starting to come together and the final confrontation looms...

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty Four – Storming The Castle**

The pilot's wing of Macross Command was a buzz of activity as word was beginning to spread of what was on the way towards the base. In the middle of the din, Rick and Lisa walked towards one of the corridors that led towards the other parts of the base. As the SDF-1 would become the bridge for Command during Operation Thermopylae, Lisa would be needed there for their part in the overall plan to eliminate one of their greatest threats. For his part, Rick would be heading over towards a special auditorium where he would be leading the briefing for the pilots that would be participating in what many hoped would be their final battle against Khyron and the Malcontent forces.

For Rick and Lisa, as they walked hand in hand towards where their paths would temporarily part ways, their minds were not on the mission at hand, but at simply making it through in one piece. However, they had seen enough battles and skirmishes to know that every moment was to be treasured as if it were their last together, for it could very much be so.

They reached a semi-secluded area and decided to stop there. Lisa instinctively drew closer to Rick and rested up against him while they enjoyed each others company. As they took in the moment, Rick put a voice to his inner thoughts about what was to come.

"Lisa, do you trust me?"

"That's a very silly question, Rick. Of course, I do, Flyboy. I wouldn't be with you if I didn't."

Rick turned to Lisa and looked into her bright green eyes. He could tell there was a bit of fear behind them. _You're definitely scared I won't come back from this one,_ he thought. _I promise you, Forever Girl, I will do everything I can to make sure I do. But, I'm also a realist and I know if my number is up, it's up._ Breaking the silence, he continued on.

"Look, I'm not gonna lie. This mission is going to be hell. Pure, unadulterated hell. There may be some decisions that need to be made that may not be to the benefit of my well-being. All I ask is that you do what's necessary to win and survive."

Lisa nodded. "I know. I may have to make a decision that personally I don't like, but will have go through with." _I just got you in my life, Rick. I'm not willing to give you up that easily. If anything happens to you, that's the end of me as well._

Rick smiled. "Hopefully we don't have to cross that bridge. This one's not going to be easy. A lot of good pilots aren't going to be coming back after this. But, we have to do what needs to be done. Otherwise, we stand to lose a lot more." He pulled her closer. "Besides, I have a very good reason to get my ass back here in one piece."

Lisa leaned in and initiated a kiss that began softly, but ramped up in intensity as both realized that this could be potentially the last one between them. She then held on to Rick tightly, feeling tears burning down her cheeks.

"I love you, Lisa," Rick said quietly. "And I will come back to you. I promise."

"I love you too, Rick," Lisa responded with a twinge of sadness. "And you'd better, mister. Otherwise, I'm asking Roy, Claudia, and Dad to kick your ass when you get up there."

Rick smiled. "Hopefully there won't be any need for that. Besides, I have the best damn insurance policy on the planet. Arguably the best and cutest voice of wisdom any pilot could have." He punctuated this with a kiss on Lisa's forehead.

Lisa smiled up at Rick. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Flyboy." She then glanced at her watch and frowned.

"Well, I think we need to get to our stations," she stated. "The TacNet's not going to run itself and you have a few pilots to inform of what we've got in store for Khyron. Promise me one thing, Rick. No mercy on this mission. Khyron made this personal by nearly killing you, killing Claudia, and destroying my ship."

"You don't have to worry about that," Rick answered with an even tone that had more than a hint of ill-feeling towards their adversary. "This was personal the moment he got you involved in this. I know he won't offer any mercy, so it makes it easier to not extend any."

No further words were said as they took the opportunity for one last kiss between them. As they moved in their separate directions, Lisa and Rick's intertwined hands released and moved in different directions.

Just as he was heading towards the auditorium, he saluted Lisa, which was returned as she started the long walk over to the temporary bridge. As they made their way towards their destinations, both Rick and Lisa had a feeling that this could have been the last time. Both found themselves wiping at their eyes and taking a deep breath before rejoining their colleagues.

* * *

In the area behind the curtains on the stage, Rick walked over towards his counterpart from Rapier Squadron, Lieutenant Commander Tom Wilcox to go over the finalization of what he was about to tell the assembled throng of RDF pilots seated outside.

"Well, Rick, looks like we have ourselves another fine mess to clean up," Wilcox deadpanned.

"Seems pretty much the usual. Crazed genetic mutation gets a hold of a large warship and decides to fly it right into downtown New Macross. We just have to stop him. I think we've dealt with worse."

"True, it's not like a few thousand of these things deciding to all fire at once on the Earth. At least we have that going for us."

Rick turned towards Wilcox. "So, you have no issue with Skull being the spearhead of the plan?"

Wilcox shook his head. "No, not at all. You, Max, and, Dixon have done this kind of thing before, plus Miriya's kind of like having their playbook before the big game."

"Thanks, Tom. I was kinda worried you thought I might be trying to play the hero like before Star Saver."

"This one's much different. We're all itching for a piece of Big Ugly this time around. I owe that purple son of a bitch for destroying my squad. You owe him for the Captain and Lieutenant Grant. We all owe him for the Deuce. And if by stopping his little bunch of morons he sends out so that it covers your path in there, count me in."

Rick glanced at his watch. "Guess it's time to raise the curtain on this party." He extended his hand to Wilcox, who grasped it tightly in a handshake.

"Time to inspire the masses. Preach on, Brother Rick."

As the curtain came up, the assembled pilots stopped whatever conversations were going on and shot to attention immediately.

Rick walked over to the podium with Wilcox following right behind. Returning the salutes of the pilots, he took his position behind the podium with Wilcox flanking him on the left hand side.

"At ease, people. I'm going to cut right to the chase on this one. As we all know, Khyron got one over on us and ended up dusting the SDF-2 with a well timed and totally unexpected missile attack. The latest is that the Deuce is pretty much scrap metal at this point and we were very fortunate that the reactors weren't online at the time of the attack as that would have added the extra bonus of fallout to the mix."

Rick stopped for a second to take a drink of water before continuing on.

"So, with this raid, it provided Big Ugly the perfect cover for the second part of his little plan." He then brought out a small device that brought up a map of the Western Hemisphere. Clicking on a button, the map focused in on South America and, specifically, Brazil.

"At about 0800 local time, forces from Fort Maracana detected activity in the rain forests around Manaus. It turns out there was a full sized Zent cruiser that had landed there after the big dust up with Dolza two years ago. This was where Big Ugly was hiding out the entire time. Colonel Leonard was dispatched down there and had the 97th Mecha check things out. Unfortunately, it didn't end well for them as Khyron got the drop and got away, pretty much decimating the entire battalion. Also, to make things even more fun, the Zents dropped an EMP charge as they scooted away. Pretty much, all of South America went off the grid after that."

He then clicked another button and the map zoomed up to North America.

"About fifteen minutes ago, we got a report from one of the Windtalker stations that the Badyear Blimp had crossed the Rio Grande and was spotted somewhere around here." Rick clicked on the side of the device, activating the laser pointer. The beam pointed at a location in the New Mexico Quadrant. "It's in the vicinity of New Santa Fe and is bound on the following course."

Another click of the button on the device and the map expanded out a bit to cover the northern part of the continent. A red blip appeared at the location around New Santa Fe and a red line came up along the known course. At the end of the red line was a star with the words "NEW MACROSS" labeled below.

"It seems that Big Ugly wants to pay us a visit and see the sights of New Macross and try to leave with a souvenir, the SDF-1. Or he'll act like a big baby and destroy the Old Lady much like he did the Deuce, but only in a more personal way than with missiles."

A murmur went up among the assembled pilots. Rick waited a few seconds before continuing on.

"Well, he can try and visit, but he didn't count on something. Namely, there's a bouncer at the door called the RDF."

Rick clicked on the button again and a few concentric rings started to emanate from the star that represented New Macross on the map.

"Folks, this is Operation Thermopylae. Our basic plan is simple. The bulk of our forces will focus in on the area in the rings outlined on the map. The furthest point out is about two hundred and fifty clicks from Command. This is where we'll start to make our stand. From there, we'll have fall back positions at two hundred kilometers, one fifty, and one hundred kilometers. The one hundred click spot is our 'line in the sand.' This is the point of no return. Lieutenant Commander Wilcox will spearhead this portion of the operation. We also have decided to leave two squadrons, Hydra and Starfox, at Command as well to serve as cover for Command and New Macross itself. However, if they engage in the battle, it probably means the main bulk of our forces are out of action. Also, I have assurances from the ground pounders that a few battalions are going to be deployed as well as a bit of an assistance if they get by us. Lieutenant Emerson also informed me that the 189th Heavy Artillery will be in place with the new Titan Destroids."

Rick took another sip of water, then continued on.

"Now, if you think we're just playing defense, you're dead wrong. We'll not only try to keep Big Ugly from breaking through, but we will also proceed with something he doesn't expect. Namely, we're going to send in a squadron to take the fight to him, directly." He thumbed over the device and brought up a secondary image, that of the cruiser in question.

"Skull Squadron will be going ahead with raid on the cruiser itself with the expressed goal of getting on board and applying the standard RDF operating procedure of 'arrive, raise hell,and leave' to Big Ugly's pretty little ship. The current game plan is to take out their ability to fight, defend, and navigate properly. If their fold drives are in working order, we'll be taking them on an unplanned journey that was suggested by Captain Hayes, namely on a one way rendezvous with the Sun. And no, we're not leaving that big bastard any sunblock or aloe. He has more than once sworn he'd burn us all from the universe if given the chance. I only figure it would be proper to return the favor, but actually follow through on it."

A round of applause went up with the idea. Rick quieted the crowd down.

"However, if the fold drives are damaged, we do have a contingency plan." Clicking on the device, another picture came up, this of the SDF-1, bringing up a murmur from the crowd.

"That is correct. The Old Lady will be getting one last curtain call if needed. It would only be fitting that the first shot and the last shot in this war be fired by the SDF-1. Currently, Dr. Lang is working on getting her back on-line in case she is called upon."

Rick sighed before continuing.

"So, we have the game plan. Now its a matter of Big Ugly knocking on the door. Right now, we don't budge until he reaches about six hundred clicks from our location. At that point, Thermoplyae goes active and we make like Leonidas and the Three Hundred, except the enemy doesn't get through and kill everyone. I cannot overstate the importance of the upcoming operation. It's one that, if we succeed, would end the fighting for some time. Either way, this whole dance with Big Ugly ends here."

Rick gazed down at the console and saw the blinking light.

"Now, I have someone else that wishes to speak to all of us before we head off on this great adventure. Admiral, the floor is yours."

The image of Admiral Gloval came up on the screen.

"Assembled forces of the RDF. Today marks what could be the final chapter in this four year long war with the Zentraedi. We thought the worst was over two years ago with the defeat of Dolza's fleet, but Khyron has decided to push on with this battle. Now, it comes down to him making a suicide charge with a cruiser at New Macross in an attempt to either capture or destroy the SDF-1. This war has gone on long enough and the time to end it has presented itself."

The Admiral took a puff off his trademark pipe before continuing.

"Much like the rest of you, I despise the business of making war, but it is the line of work we have chosen. If one more fight can keep us from having to continually fight for some time, I am fully in favor of that one fight. This is that one fight to stop the ongoing fighting. It is as simple as that. I also abhor sending young men and women to their deaths. It is not a task I take lightly and I know it is one that Commander Hunter does not take lightly either. Some of you are not going to come back from this mission. It is a harsh reality of what war is, but rest assured, in the end, any losses will not be in vain or a waste. The stakes in this battle could not be any higher. All I ask of any of the men and women under my command is that they do their duty. Good luck to you all and God bless. We shall be victorious in this struggle or give our lives defending what is right."

The screen went blank. Rick turned to the assembled mass of pilots.

"I don't think I could have put it as eloquently as that," he deadpanned, getting a bit of a chuckle from the pilots. Rick waited a second before continuing on.

"However, the time is now. We're ready, we're waiting, and we're damn able. I don't know about you guys, but the chance to end Big Ugly sounds like a chance worth taking. Every time we've tangled with him, he's underestimated us and gotten a kick in the ass for his efforts, but he's managed to bounce back. This time, I'd like to change things up. This time, he doesn't get that chance to bounce back. This. Ends. TODAY!" Rick punctuated the last point by smacking his fist against the podium. He then nodded to Wilcox, who stepped behind the podium.

"OK, kids, game plan is simple. Everyone goes to their respective sit rooms and waits for the signal that Big Ugly's hit the six hundred click mark. At that point, everyone outside of Hydra and Starfox scrambles and hits the air. Once we're airborne, we'll set up in three zones fifty clicks apart. We bend, but we don't break and we make very difficult for Big Ugly and his pals."

Wilcox turned back to Rick and nodded.

"As for Skull, we head out in thirty minutes. The rest, await your orders. DISMISSED!"

With that, the assembly broke up as the pilots headed towards their stations to await their orders.

* * *

In their small Situation Room, Rick and the other pilots of Skull Squadron assembled to go over their part of the mission, which was the more difficult and dangerous portion of the plan.

"I think we may be better off splitting our forces, Rick," Max suggested. "Six of us should be more than enough to raise a ruckus. I mean, four of us were able to make Breetai's life miserable."

"Wasn't it more like three, Max?" Ben added. "No offense to the Captain, but.."

Rick looked over at Ben, letting his friend know he kind of had tread somewhere he shouldn't have. "She had the toughest job of all, Ben. She had to make out with me in front of Dolza. Command performance."

"That could have been a lot worse, ya know," Ben answered, which elicited a shudder from Rick.

"Anyway," Rick continued, getting back on subject. "Max, I think that may be our best option. I mean, I have faith in every man and woman in this squadron, but it may work out best this way."

"So, who goes and who stays, so to speak?"

"You, Miriya, Ben, Nibs, myself, and Plankton."

Max nodded. "Makes sense. Screech, Stitch, Dazzler, Whitewalker, Mystique, Elsa, and Tintin go with us, cover us, then join the others."

"Somehow, I can see Elsa and Mystique pitching a fit about this," Rick surmised. The two pilots he had mentioned were new recruits that were recently added to Skull Squadron. Corporal Susan Graham, aka Mystique, and Corporal Karen Penn, aka Elsa, were game for a fight and would be disappointed on being on the sidelines for this particular part of the mission. But, as Rick and Max had realized, both had great potential going forward and opted that their skills would be better served in the capacity given.

Turning towards the pilots, Rick cleared his throat and looked at the assembled group.

"OK, here's what our portion of this operation is. We're flying out to meet up with Big Ugly's ship and six of us will be infiltrating to cause some general chaos. The pilots that will be in the boarding party will be myself, Dixon, Niebauer, both Sterlings, and Baker. Malikowski, you and the others will be covering our entry and then once we're aboard, you'll head back to the Ramparts."

Looking out into the group, Rick could see the obvious distaste on Graham's face. Penn, however, showed no emotion. _Either she's just really good at hiding her emotions or she's a robot. Either way, I'm never challenging her to a game of Texas Hold 'Em._ The other newer pilots, Corporal Jessie "Dazzler" Davies, Corporal Tyler "Whitewalker" Westerlow, and Corporal Henk "Tintin" Van Dijk, echoed Penn's poker face as well.

Baker took the time to speak up. "So, I guess we're the Suicide Six, huh Boss?"

Rick nodded. "Kind of. We're not going on a suicide mission, Baker. We're going there to screw up Big Ugly's plans. We'll be targeting his communications array, scanners, weapon control, shield generators, and the navigation. We want him blind, mute, unprotected, unable to defend himself, and hopefully going on a one way trip to the Sun or eating an energy bolt from the Old Lady."

Rick turned his attention to the others. "Standard operating procedure out there. Buddy up and watch each other's six. Once on ship, watching each other's six is going to be doubly important. Also, if you shoot, you shoot to kill. They'll be trying to do the same."

Gazing at the clock, Rick turned over to Ben and Max and nodded. Then, he turned to the others. "OK, Skulls. Bring it in." Standing in the middle, the others surrounded him and went ahead with the Rally Cry before making their way to the hangars and towards another vitally important mission. As they walked down the corridor to the hangars, one thought went through Rick's mind. _Hopefully this goes off a hell of a lot better than Star Saver._

* * *

Walking towards Skull One, Rick saw that Vince Grant was working on the last minute checks on the fighter. Running a hand along the side of the craft, he noticed that Vince was not cracking any jokes as he walked over. _Big Man is all business today,_ he thought as he came up to the ladder. Vince looked over and saw Rick was ready to board. Walking over, he nodded, then spoke.

"Ordinance is loaded and you have a full tank of gas. Gonna cut to the chase, Boss. Kill this bastard. Make him scream if possible."

Rick nodded, "Gonna try, Vince. How's Jean holding up?"

"She's managing. It's tough though."

"It is for all of us. Claudia was family to me too. And Lisa's taken it a bit harder than she's let on."

Vince extended a hand. "Light him up, Joker. I'm talking Viking funeral pyre lighting up here."

Rick took his hand and shook it tightly. "I think it will be epic, my friend."

"Good luck out there!"

Rick made his way into the cockpit, but before sitting down, he looked down at Vince and shot him a heartfelt salute. The salute was returned in kind as Rick settled in behind the stick of the fighter. Flipping over switches, he felt the engines turn over and roar to life. He slowly taxied the craft towards the main runway. Flipping over to the TacNet, the screen came alive and a very familiar and comforting sight came up in the form of Lisa.

"Command, this is Skull Leader. We're all set here. Do we have permission to go ahead and storm the castle?"

Lisa tried to stifle a laugh at the description. _You always said that was one of your favorite movies,_ she thought. "Skull leader, this is Command. Yes, you do have permission to go ahead and storm the castle. You also have permission to visit humiliations galore on our friend."

"As you wish," Rick said back with a smile.

Settling back to business, Lisa checked the readouts. "Skull Squadron, you are cleared for takeoff. Primary target is approximately nine hundred kilometers from our current location. Proceed to runways eleven through fifteen."

"Acknowledged, Command," Rick responded. Pulling back on the thrusters, Skull One rocketed down the runway and gained altitude quickly. One by one, the others began to take off and join Rick in the skies above New Macross. Reaching their assigned cruising altitude in a few short minutes, the thirteen Veritechs began to level off and pull into formation.

Flipping one of the switches on his display, Rick opened up a channel to the squadron. "OK, Skulls. It looks like we're a few hours away from bumping into any of Big Ugly's friends as of yet. Keep in contact with one another, but lets try to keep the squawking to home to a bare minimum. The less our pals know, the better."

The comm fired up with acknowledgements of the given orders. After it seemed that the others had been able to check in, Rick sat back with his thoughts as the target loomed. _Eight hundred clicks and closing. Right now, they're around New Flagstaff. As this goes, we should bump into them somewhere around Lake Tahoe and that neck of the woods._ He checked back on the map to see where the further point of the interception would be. _And we'd be intercepting somewhere near the Cascades. Gives us a little wiggle room to do our dirty work and potentially push these guys in a totally different direction. That is if everything goes off without a hitch._

* * *

On board the bridge of the SDF-1, Admiral Gloval, Lisa, and the rest of the bridge crew took over their old positions like nothing had changed. It had been over a year since the bridge of the Old Lady had been used actively. _Thankfully we kept it maintained as a fallback in case anything happened to the one on the Deuce,_ Lisa thought. Looking to her right, she saw a newer tech handling the post that had been manned faithfully by Claudia in the past. A wave of sadness came over Lisa as she remembered her friend. _As much as we miss you, wallowing in a sense of self-pity's not going to get this mission done,_ she thought as she pushed the memories aside for the time being. _There'll be time for that later._

Turning towards the Admiral, Lisa cleared her throat and commenced with her update.

"Admiral, Skull Squadron is in the air and heading towards the target. They should be arriving by the time the target reaches just north of New Reno."

Gloval nodded. "Good. Once Skull gets within one hundred kilometers of the target, scramble the others. I'd rather be safer than sorry."

"Yes, sir." Lisa turned back to the TacNet and monitored the approach of Skull towards Khyron's ship. Gloval, for his part, looked down at the chair he was sitting in and tapped on a button. A loud whirring noise could be heard in the background on the channel that had been opened up.

"Dr. Lang? What's our status?"

"Ah, right now ve're in ze prozess of getting ze main veapon charged up, _herr_ Admiral," the German-accented voice of the Engineering head responded over the speaker. "It vould haf taken a bit shorter time, but ze connections are a little more corroded than anticipated."

Gloval sighed. "How far along are we?"

"Right now, ve're at tventy percent. It vill take a few more hours until ve're at full strength." A loud clanging noise came over the speaker, followed by a loud string of curses in German. " _Herr Admiral,_ " Lang continued. "I'll be very honest here. Ve vill probably haf only vun shot. Anything more than that and I cannot guarantee that ze ship vill stay together in vun piece. Ve highly risk ze chance of a meltdown if ve try to charge up another shot."

Gloval nodded. "So, we have one real chance here."

 _"Ja, Herr Admiral._ "

 _Not exactly the news I wanted to hear,_ Gloval thought to himself. "Thank you, Doctor," he said as he cut off the communication. Turning to Lisa, Gloval had a grim look on his face. "Lisa, you may want to let Commander Hunter know the situation with the main weapon. Basically, if we shoot this, we have to be one hundred percent sure we have a lock because we're not going to get another chance."

Lisa nodded as she flipped open an open comm link on the TacNet.

* * *

Rick was deep in his thoughts, steeling himself for the upcoming mission when he noticed the TacNet springing to life in front of him. Clicking on one of the buttons, Lisa's image popped up on the display.

"Rick, we just got some information from Dr. Lang down in Engineering. The good news is that the main weapon for the SDF-1 is charging up. The bad news is that it's at only twenty percent right now and will take a few more hours to get all the way to full strength."

"That's not too bad," Rick drawled. "But, by your expression, I'm willing to guess there's something else that's about to be tacked on here."

Lisa nodded. "You've come to know me well enough. Dr. Lang told us in no uncertain terms we have enough power for one shot from the One. If we try another for the main weapon, there's a good chance of a meltdown."

"So, it's basically hope the fold drives on Big Ugly's boat are functional or we have to be dead sure about the shot," Rick gathered quickly.

Lisa nodded back, causing Rick to whistle to himself. "Nothing is ever easy," he muttered. "I'll let the others know," he stated. Flipping channels to an open one for the squadron, Rick took a deep breath before breaking the news.

"OK, Skulls. Just got word from home that the Old Lady is charging up the main gun, but its only at about twenty percent and is going to take a bit for it to get to full. However, the good Doctor has let Command know that it's basically going to be a one shot deal with her. Anything else, and she'll probably go up like the world's biggest Roman candle."

"So, we gotta make the shot from the Old Lady count if we have to use her," Max surmised quickly.

"Exactly, Nightwing. And our forward scanners aren't picking up any activity from the Badyear Blimp as of yet."

Max pondered this for a second, then smiled. "Joker, I have an idea. May want to let the folks back home to get the others involved. It may push a reaction out of Khyron and make our job a bit easier."

Rick nodded. "I like that course of thinking. I'll phone home on that one." Switching channels back to the one with Lisa, Rick had a broad smile across his face.

"Lisa, Max just had a good idea. I think it may be time to get Wilcox and the others involved. There's a good chance knowing Khyron if he sees we have a welcoming committee set up for him, he may just go ahead and tip his hand and push his pods out."

"Which would make it a lot easier for you to infiltrate," she finished with the same broad smile.

Rick nodded. "So, in my capacity as CAG of Macross Command, send up the others now. Hydra and Starfox hang back, everyone else is in the air."

Lisa turned towards Admiral Gloval, who had been listening to the conversation. With a short nod, Rick's order was confirmed.

Immediately, klaxons all over the base started going off with announcements for all craft to scramble.

* * *

On board the Zentraedi cruiser, one of the techs monitoring the long range scanners found himself double checking the readout. _Lots of activity at the target,_ he thought as a concentrated mass of red blips appeared on his scope spreading out towards their path. Realizing what was going on, he immediately tapped on the console to let the upper bridge know. On his viewscreen, a picture of Khyron came up.

"What is it? This had better be good."

"My Lord, we are detecting activity from the Micronian base. It appears they have massed a large squadron of fighters in front of us. They look to be massing at a point about here." The tech sent over an image of the map.

Khyron smiled. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from the Admiral. Thank you." Cutting that transmission dead, he flipped over to another channel. On the screen, the image of Magdar came up.

"Magdar, have the pods intercept these Micronian fighters. I do not wish to have anyone standing in our way. Brush them aside with as little mercy as possible."

"It will be done, my Lord. Should we keep a few pods here in case they try a direct attack?"

"Nonsense, Magdar. Their forces are in front of us. We will never get another opportunity like this to sweep them off the field once and for all."

"As you command." The link went dead as a general alarm went up on the ship.

* * *

"Holy crap, Rick," Ben exclaimed. "You and Max were right. It looks like the Zents took the bait and then some. There's a ton of pods streaming out of that ship."

Rick smiled as he looked over the surrounding area of their target. _He's throwing everything he's got at the guys up ahead. Too bad he forgot about the guys to the side._ Flipping channels, he saw Lisa come back up on the screen. "Well, looks like they bought it. He's throwing everything he's got at Wilcox's guys. Counting at least three fifty gomers making tracks for our guys."

Lisa nodded. "And so, the battle begins."

"That it does. Hopefully it's the last one. Command, Skull is going quiet until we get on board of the target. Like I said, I don't want to tip them off of what's coming."

"Acknowledged, Skull. Radio silence until target is reached."

Lisa nodded again and motioned to Rick to change channels. Making the switch over, Rick saw a concerned look on Lisa's face.

"Be careful, Rick. Get back to me in one piece."

"I plan to, Forever Girl."

* * *

As the bulk of the RDF fighters started to make their way towards the designated point, Wilcox looked down at his forward scanners. _Seems he did bring a lot of playmates this time,_ he thought as he saw the endless amount of red blips showing up on his screen. Opening a comm link to all the fighters around him, he took a deep breath before starting.

"OK everyone, we had a crapload of gomers screaming in at us with the intent purpose of clearing our asses out of the way for Big Ugly. Well, I have to say right now, if you ever wanted to screw up a parade, now's your chance. Weps are free, it's target rich, and feel free to get your fill. I want none of these bastards left to tell the tale of how much of a monumental screw-up this was by their boss. We clear the way for Joker and the Skulls to do their dirty work and we get to bid Big Ugly a fond farewell. Remember, this is for our friends, our families, and our planet. They may have destroyed the Deuce, but they haven't touched the RDF. Show them the error of their ways."

* * *

As the pods sped towards their destination with fate and destiny, Magdar opened up a comm channel to the surrounding warriors.

"Warriors of the Imperial Zentraedi Forces! Today is the day we avenge our loss at the hands of the Micronians. Today, we wipe them from the face of the universe. Leave none alive! Show no mercy! Any retreat will be dealt with as desertion and subject to immediate termination. Nobody is to fall back. We only know one direction, forward! Annihilate anything that moves."

Closing the channel, Magdar thought of the upcoming battle. _Two great forces smashing into each other, both with the expressed purposes of destroying the other. By the Gods, this will be glorious._

* * *

Looking on from the bridge of the SDF-1, Lisa monitored the progress of the Skulls and of the rest of the forces on separate screens. Turning to the Admiral, she smiled briefly.

"Sir, Skull Squadron will be intercepting the target in about twenty minutes. The bulk of our forces have mostly deployed at the zones of defense given. I also have gotten word from Lieutenant Emerson that the 45th and 189th Heavy Artillery are in position and awaiting orders. The incoming forces will be arriving in about fifteen minutes to their position." She gazed down at another readout. "Also, the main weapon charge is now at forty percent."

Gloval nodded and stated plainly. "The lives of millions hang in the balance with this fight, everyone. Faliure on this mission is not an option. It is time to end this madness once and for all."

The mood on the bridge was one of cautious apprehension at the coming battle.

* * *

On the bridge of the cruiser, Khyron looked over the tactical screen and saw what was unfolding. _Soon, this will be over and I will be victorious, or I will die in the attempt,_ he thought. _Losing this fight is not in my plans, Admiral. I will burn you and your kind from the universe with a great deal of pleasure._


	25. The Catalyst

Quick hits on the reviews:

 **sscaldwe** \- Thanks! Had to give it that little bit of tension there as they both know the other may not be walking away from this one all safe. Had to have the Admiral give the pep talk before the mission (was thinking of Eisenhower right before D-Day for my reference). Remains to be seen if it will cost Khyron as of yet, but it would be something he would definitely do in the situation.

 **theGhostflyer** \- Yeah, he's rather cocky. And as Rick said, cocky means a possible letter home at the end of the day. Too bad there's nobody that would be there to read it for Big Ugly if he buys it. As for the Old Lady, who knows if it'll hit or miss. Depends on how the others do on their part. And, as for the fold drives, that will be revealed shortly.

 _ **A/N** \- I had planned to have this up a bit earlier, but real life reared it's ugly head with some work situations and feeling a tad under the weather. Anyways, we're all set on this one._

* * *

It's coming to a head now. The big battle is underway. Lots going on. And it's setting the stage for the final confrontation. There's two more chapters left to this one before we finish up. And well, DBTD is going out with a bang.

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty Five – The Catalyst**

The skies over the Sierra Nevada mountains were a bit more lively than normal as a group of RDF Veritech screamed overhead. At the head of the fighters was one that was colored white with black and gold trim and a Jolly Roger on the tail fins. The fighter, known as Skull One, was leading its cohorts towards a large green form in the distance.

"Target is about fifteen clicks to our south and east," Commander Rick Hunter intoned to the fighters under his command. "So far, they're totally unaware we're approaching," he stated. _Or they just don't care that we are,_ he added silently.

"Let's just hope it stays that way, Boss," Ben added.

"Commander, we're going to want to approach a little further back than we are," Miriya reported. "There should be a hatch close by to the back engines that should be enough to get us in. Knowing how Azonia and my old colleagues are, it probably is still open. I'm highlighting it on the schematic."

Rick checked on his display and saw the location of their entry point. The targeted compartments on the ship were already highlighted.

"Thanks, Deadpool. OK, for the guys joining in on the boarding party, when we hit the two click mark, flip your birds into Guardian mode until we get to that hatch, then go Battleoid. We'll stay in that mode for the rest of the mission. The others, cover us til we get on board, then get back to the others. Lord knows they're going to need a hand or two with what got sent out to them."

"Understood, Joker," Screech chimed in. "As soon as you get on board, we're making a bee-line for the furball."

"Rather still be here for this one," Mystique muttered a bit more audibly than she intended.

"An order is an order, Graham," Rick shot back, not using her call sign as a show that she had crossed a bit of a line. "The six of us should be able to handle things here. It's not that I don't have confidence you could do something like this, but the folks I have heading in have a bit of experience in this kind of thing."

"Right now," he continued. "My only thing I'm concerned about is if we can get on board without Big Ugly detecting we're coming."

"Well, there was that modification that Engineering was able to make to our radar signatures," Max smiled. Before the mission had launched, Dr. Lang from Engineering had contacted Rick and thought that the radar signatures of the fighters could be changed around in a way that would make the craft much harder for standard Zentraedi scanners to pick up. In a bit of irony, the signatures were paired up to match the same signature a flock of migrating geese would have on scanners. _If the good doc only knew about Star Saver,_ Max thought.

The new signature was also what had played in to the location that Miriya had chosen for their insertion to the ship. _Seeing they're running on atmospheric, the turbines are spinning,_ Rick thought. _If anything, when the blips go away, they'll just think the "geese" ate it in the turbines. Kind of really more ironic the more you think about it, Rick,_ he added with a smile. Checking on their heading, he saw that the distance had closed even more.

"We're at the point of no return now, kids. Nightwing, Deadpool, Plankton, Sloth, Nibbler, on my mark flip it into Guardian. Everyone else, keep your guard up."

The massive green-colored ship started to loom larger and larger as the fighters approached. Surprisingly, there was still no activity. Rick saw the distance go down further and further. Once it hit the two kilometer mark, he flipped the comm back on.

"Guardian mode...Now!"

Six of the fighters changed from the default fighter mode into Guardian and sped towards the craft. The others kept a bit of a distance, but were eagerly scanning to see if any activity was about.

"Still all clear, Boss!" Screech added. "We have your six. If we see anything, we'll give a shout. Good luck!"

The six Guardians closed easily and without any incident, which surprised the entire squadron. Once at the selected hatch, the six craft changed again into Battleoid mode. Miriya's craft worked on the hatch and was able to open it up with some ease. The other Battleoids made their way through the open hatch in rapid succession. Once all were in, the hatch closed.

Screech smiled as he saw that this part of the mission had gone off much easier than expected. "Well, it's all up to the Boss and the others now. OK, Skulls, time to head on back and give our guys a hand." The seven fighters left outside reversed course and shot back towards where the other RDF pilots were.

* * *

On the main bridge of the ship, a tech monitoring the engines saw that one of the hatch alarms had been triggered for some reason. Seeing this was out of the ordinary, he followed his training and hailed the nearest superior. The superior officer noticed what the tech had shown him and opened up a communication device and hailed his superior.

"Sir, this is Bavon over at Engineering. We noticed that the hatch near sector Bravo Delta Nine was triggered."

"Interesting. I'll send a squad over to check it out."

Paying it no mind, Bavon and the tech went about their duties, unaware of what was about to transpire.

* * *

Rick smiled seeing that they had been able to get aboard on to the ship without being detected. _So far, so good. Time to let the folks back home know._ Flipping on the TacNet, he called back in.

"Command, this is Skull Leader. We're in and about to go on a bit of a tour."

Lisa smiled on the other end. "Acknowledged, Skull Leader. Good work."

"How long until the Old Lady's at full power?"

Glancing down, Lisa nodded. "We're at sixty percent and rising."

"Acknowledged, Command. We'll be back in touch shortly. Right now, we have a ship to wreck."

Switching channels quickly, Rick glanced at the map on the screen in front of him. "OK, Deadpool, you're the tour guide here. Where to?"

Miriya studied the map quickly. "Commander, our first stop should be the room where the fold drives are located. I should be able to tell quickly if they're usable or not." A brief pause came up as she studied the map. "We're about less than twenty meters from that room."

"Lead the way then," Rick said with a smile.

* * *

The area over the Canadian Rockies north of New Vancouver had seen the usually empty skies fill with RDF fighters and Zentraedi battle pods rather quickly. Both forces had slammed into each other and a furious fight had broken out as the pods were attempting to sweep the Veritechs out of the way while the Veritechs were doing their best to hold their lines and prevent any further incursions.

In the thick of the fighting was Lieutenant Commander Tom Wilcox, who was charged with leading the RDF defense. As he deftly maneuvered his fighter through the storm of energy bolts, missiles, and other ordinance, he spotted a pod chasing after another fighter. Swinging into action, Wilcox took a deep breath as he closed the gap quickly and had the chasing pod directly in his sights. _Too slow, pal, too slow,_ he thought as he squeezed the trigger. The stream of explosive 50 caliber rounds shattered the pod, sending parts cascading to the ground. Looking around at the situation, he saw the Zentraedi forces were starting to get the upper hand. Sighing to himself, he realized that he'd have to do something he didn't want. Opening up a channel, he got the attention of all the RDF forces around.

"Rampart Flight, this is Paladin. Fall back to position Beta. Repeat, fall back to position Beta."

"Are you sure, Boss?" one of the other fighters responded back.

"As serious as a heart attack, Digdug. Beat it back to Beta now."

The assembled RDF craft began to rocket backwards towards the secondary position. It was something that didn't go unnoticed on the other side of the battle.

 _They're falling back. This could not be going any better,_ Magdar thought. Not even hesitating, he got over the comm to the other pods. "Follow them. We can press this issue and wipe them from the field totally. Do not relent on them at all."

The pods gave chase, firing at the RDF fighters the entire way.

* * *

The six Veritechs had been able to make their way through the corridor of the ship over to the room where the fold drive controls were housed. Strangely, for an active ship, the area was relatively quiet and the room itself was empty. Miriya didn't waste time as she walked over to the control panel.

"Wouldn't they have some guys crewing this room?" Amelia asked.

"Normally, yes," Miriya answered. "But it may also have to do with the fact that Khyron and Azonia may have a skeleton crew on this ship right now. They probably haven't been able to fully recoup their numbers to have the cruiser properly crewed."

"Skeleton crew or not, it's been too damn quiet for my tastes," Ben added. In an instant, he set up to one side of the door. "Plankton, take the other side of the door. I don't think Deadpool or any of the rest of us would like any visitors. If that door as much as jostles, shoot."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Baker muttered as he took a post on the opposite side of Ben.

It was just then that Miriya spat out a very long curse in her native Tirolean.

"That can't be good," Rick said quietly.

"Trust me, you don't want a translation of that," Max deadpanned. "Mir's taught me enough of the language that I can curse out any Zentraedi in ways that would put you and Ben to shame."

"Commander, we have a problem," Miriya replied with a sense of frustration hinted in her voice. "According to the readout here, the fold drives were damaged during the attack by Dolza's fleet nearly two years ago. They obviously do not have the parts to do the repairs for this."

"Damnit," Rick spat. "Well, so much for the shooting them into the sun idea." Clicking on the TacNet, he found himself not relishing giving this update. Lisa popped up on the screen.

"Command, it's Skull Leader. We're definitely going to need the SDF-1 to get that shot charged up. Fold drives on this junker of a cruiser are shot. As much as I loved the idea you had, it's a no go, Lisa. Sorry."

The frown on Lisa's face told the story of how the news went over. "Acknowledged, Commander." She then looked down for a second and continued. "We're at seventy five percent on the charge for the main gun. We should be able to shoot in about ninety minutes."

"Lisa, I need for you to promise me something. If you don't hear from me or anyone else among us, I need you to not even think twice about blasting this ship to kingdom come."

"Rick, I can't do.."

"Promise me!"

"Okay," she responded in a very dejected tone.

"I don't like it either, but the safety of everyone on this planet trumps what you feel about me here. Besides, I knew the risks when I took off on this mission. I knew there may be a good chance I don't walk away from this."

Lisa could only nod sadly.

"Sometimes we have to do what is right as opposed to what is popular," Rick continued. "Someone very wise once told me that."

"Damnit Rick, I just got you in my life. I'm not liking how after all this waiting, I may have to give you up." A tear slid down her cheek.

"Hopefully it won't come to that. But, we do have to plan for everything here."

* * *

The small patrol that had been sent out made their way to the sector where the hatch was located. One of the troopers looked at the hatch and shut off the sensor and then turned to the leader of the patrol.

"Looks like it was a false alarm. The hatch was secured."

One of the other troopers looked up the corridor and saw something out of the ordinary.

"Sir, there's some light coming out of the fold drive room. I thought that room was off limits until we got to the resupply."

Motioning to the group, the squad leader led the troopers over to the area.

Walking over to the door, the squad leader pounded on the door and yelled out, "Whoever is in there, this is a restricted area. You had better have a really good reason to be in there. Open this door **now**!"

No response came. The squad leader turned to the others. "Get your weapons ready. I think someone or something has infiltrated the ship."

* * *

Rick's conversation was interrupted by the pounding on the door and the yelling in Tirolean that came across.

"Crap. I think the welcome wagon just rolled up," he said with a scowl.

"Take care of what you have to do, Rick. Set your chrono for ninety minutes and have the others do it as well. I hope to hear from you sooner rather than later."

"Roger that." Before cutting off the communication, Rick mouthed a silent _I love you_ to Lisa, which was returned in kind before the transmission went black.

Switching gears, he went to the group communication setting. "Looks like we have visitors, and it's not Watchtower or Avon." He pulled out the gun pod and cocked it emphatically.

* * *

The squad leader, not getting a response to his demands, turned to one of the troopers. "Kick that door in!" The trooper, without any hesitation, put all his force into the kick. The door opened quickly and the squad moved towards the now opened door. To their shock, they saw six Veritech fighters in Battleoid mode. The more disturbing part was that all six had their gun pods out, pointed at them.

Rick had zero hesitation in his next command. " **Open fire!** "

The Veritechs all fired in rapid succession, cutting through the squad like a hot knife through butter. To Rick's dismay, he saw one of the squad grabbing a communicator and starting to send out an alert. Wasting no time, he fired again at the trooper, this time hitting him square in the chest. As the trooper fell back, the communicator fell out of his now lifeless hand. Rick stared down and saw the face of a rather surprised Zentraedi commander. Rick thought the better of it and stepped on the communicator, shattering it against the floor. He spun around to the others.

"So much for doing this all stealthy-like," Rick stated. Looking over the schematic of the ship, he made a quick decision.

"Here's our game plan. We move quickly and take out their communications, shields, and weps, then worry about the navigation. We're probably gonna have to run and gun this one." He looked at the others and felt a wry smile come across his face. "As for engaging the enemy, if they so much as look at you funny, shoot. They sure as hell won't hesitate." Looking around, he gave the next order quickly. "Bear in mind, we have ninety minutes until the Old Lady can take a shot at this junk heap. And we only have one shot at it. Let's make it count, and let's make Big Ugly's last hours on this plane of existence as miserable as possible. Move out!"

The Veritechs moved on in groups of two, cautiously trying to avoid any direct confrontations with any of the now alerted forces on the ship.

* * *

On the bridge, Khyron watched with annoyance as a red light started blinking on the console. Tapping it with a bit of disdain, he saw the image of Grel come up on the screen.

"What is it now, Grel? I was trying to keep an eye on Magdar's progress."

"My Lord, it appears some Micronians were able to get on board."

Khyron shot up with a look of surprise. " **What?** "

"We sent a squad down towards a hatch by Engineering that had triggered an alarm. It appears our friends found them and eliminated them. The commanding officer on duty reports that he was contacted by the squad, but when the video link came up, he saw a Veritech before the picture went out."

"What was the coloring of that particular Veritech?"

"White with black and yellow."

Khyron grinned at this news. _So, Commander. You decided to come to me. I will enjoy killing you personally._ "Grel, sound the general alarm. Hunt them down and bring them to me."

"As you command."

Alarms started blaring on the ship as the communication went dark.

* * *

As the Veritechs moved cautiously down the corridor, they could hear the alarms start blaring and the hallway they were in change in lighting from a natural color to a reddish tinge.

"I think they know we're here now, Boss," Max stated.

Before anyone could respond, an energy bolt screamed past, scoring the wall to the side.

"Gee, ya think, Max?" Ben shot back. "Between the red lighting, the sirens going off, and that bolt that just missed, I couldn't tell!"

"Stow it, Sloth!" Rick interjected. "Get in position and get ready for action!"

Not even hesitating, the Veritechs leveled their gun pods and proceeded towards the bend in the hallway. Around the corner, a small squad of Zentraedi warriors advanced towards the Veritechs, weapons at the ready.

As the lead trooper rounded the corner, Baker grabbed the man's arm and swung him violently into the wall, stunning the trooper momentarily. During that brief moment, Baker took advantage and bashed the warrior in the back of the head with the Veritech's fists. The now unconscious trooper slid to the floor as Ben and Amelia moved around.

They saw the group of Zentraedi warriors approaching and reacted without any sort of hesitation. With a knowing look at each other over the TacNet, they leveled their weapons at the oncoming group and opened fire. Their shots were returned in kind and suddenly, a major fire fight was breaking out in the corridor.

Rick motioned towards the others to join Ben and Amelia in the skirmish, and soon all six Vertiechs were unloading on the squad in front of them.

The troopers wilted quickly and decided to withdraw to a better position, but not before the Veritechs had caused some major damage to their overall strength. The evidence of which was shown by a multiple number of now dying or dead warriors lying on the floor not far from their original position. For the Veritechs, this had an added advantage of clearing the path to their first objective. However, Rick had some thoughts of making sure their opponents got any wiser to what they were planning. Holstering his gun pod, Rick's Veritech extended one of its arms and a small rocket launcher appeared out of the forearm. Looking down the hall with a smirk, Rick let loose with the rocket. It screamed off and impacted against the far wall, exploding violently and bringing down debris to a point that it blocked the hallway.

"There. That'll buy us some time while they try to dig out of that," he stated evenly. Looking down at his display, he pulled up the schematic of the ship and called out over the squad channel. "Miriya, where's the communications room?"

"Right over here, Commander," she stated, adding a gesture towards a door just down the hallway to the right.

Amelia decided to proceed ahead and tried to open the door, but found it was locked. "Maybe we should knock," she asked.

Baker walked past and went up to the door. "Leave that to me." He leveled his gun right at the lock and fired. The lock exploded and the door slid open without any effort.

Ben, Amelia, and Baker went in front and started firing into the room, aiming at will at the technicians working in the array. In a matter of seconds, it was over as any of the Zentraedi techs working in the room were now lying on the floor, still.

"Room's clear, Boss!" Ben yelled out.

"Good work," Rick responded as he ran in with Miriya and Max. "OK, what's the next step?"

Miriya looked around and found what she was looking for. "That's the one array we want. That's the one for the outbound comm. We knock that out, they can't talk with the pods they already launched."

"Which means if they get really worried, they can't call in the cavalry," Max added.

Rick turned towards the array that Miriya had gestured towards and took aim with his gun pod. A few bursts later, the array was a smoking wreck.

"Hey Boss, I think you broke it," Ben joked.

"Oops," Rick added with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "Guess he should have paid his phone bill." Turning back to Miriya, Rick asked a simple question. "OK, Weapons control would be hiding where?"

Miriya glanced at the schematic and pinpointed the next destination. "It's two levels up. There's a turbolift down the hall back the way we came."

"OK, folks. Saddle up. We've made Big Ugly mute. Time to take his toys away."

The six Veritechs made their way down towards their next destination.

* * *

In the skies above where the Canadian Rockies and the Cascade Mountains merged together, the fighting between the RDF forces and the battle pods deployed by Khyron had turned into an even fiercer furball than was seen earlier. The fall back by the RDF had been executed well, but the pods were still pressing the issue as losses started to mount for both sides. In the middle of the combat, Wilcox found himself dancing and weaving through well timed energy bolts from their opponents.

 _Damn,_ he thought while trying to maneuver closer to a Veritech that was being hassled by a few pods. _Big Ugly's pals are definitely not backing down today. Not like they normally would have, but they're just relentless right now._ Gritting his teeth as he fired, Wilcox got a good shoot off, obliterating one of the pursuing pods in a fiery wreck. However, one of the others avenged their fallen comrade by putting a few energy bolts into the Veritech, turning it into scrap metal.

It was just then that Wilcox heard his comm go off. "Paladin, this is Screech. I brought some friends along for the fun. Need a hand?"

"Great to see you and the nuggets made it, kid," Wilcox said with a smile. "Just hop in and blast any of these damn Em Zee bastards you see. And here's hoping your boss ruins Big Ugly's day."

"Roger that on both counts, Paladin. OK, Skulls. We're in the fray now. Have at these _dupki_."

The seven oncoming Veritechs dove right into the battle quickly. It didn't take long for Penn and Graham to get into the mix as a group of pods spotted the newcomers and dove at them with all guns blazing. Nodding to one another, both women smiled as the pods closed in.

"Tone and lock. Skull Nine, Fox two!" Penn yelled out as she pulled on the trigger.

"Tone. Lock. Skull Twelve, Fox one!" Graham added for good measure as she squeezed on the trigger of her Vertiech.

Both fighters saw Wildfires rocket off from the wings towards the oncoming pods. None had a chance to swerve out of the way as both missiles hit with concussive impact. The group of nine pods disappeared in an instant.

"Nice shooting you two!" Screech shouted over. "Four and a half each on your first shot. Take a bow, Mystique and Elsa."

"Thanks Screech," Penn shot back. "However, save it til we get out of this. I'd rather be alive to enjoy ace status after the fight."

"What she said, Screech," Graham added as she lined up another pod and fired quickly. The pod exploded as the high caliber shells ripped through the metal shell of the craft.

As the battle intensified, Wilcox found himself wondering if they'd be able to hang on before Khyron arrived. _Just need to give Rick and his guys a bit more time to get through their part in this._ As he thought this, a shot whizzed on by his canopy, missing by a meter or two. _That is, if we can all get through this before hand._

* * *

Rick and the others had been able to get up towards the room that housed the weapons control for the ship with some relative ease. _Odd they didn't pursue,_ Rick thought. _Maybe that missile shot over by the communications room had a lot to do with it. They're probably still digging out of that mess._

Miriya popped up on the communications screen. "Commander, I believe this would be what you would call a stroke of luck. The controls for both the weapons and shields are housed in the same location."

Rick smiled at this bit of information. "Means we have one less stop on this tour." He looked down at the ship's current position and the countdown timer. "OK, we're about five hundred clicks from New Macross and we have about forty five minutes to make the magic happen before the Old Lady is ready to let loose. Time's a wastin' folks. We gotta move and quick."

Noticing that there was zero activity in the hallway, the group approached the room quickly and took position. Miriya walked over to the door controls and tapped in a code she knew by heart. The door pinged and opened up. "Nice to know they didn't bother changing those codes," she said with a smirk.

Max moved to the front and leveled his weapon, joined by Ben and Baker. All three started firing at the techs in the room. However, they neglected to see that one of them was armed and got a good shot off. The shot slammed into Baker's fighter, causing it to drop back and slam into the wall. Ben had responded quickly with a shot that caught the unfortunate warrior in the head and resulted in a shower of red on the walls and one of the consoles near the front.

"Plankton! You OK?" Rick shouted out.

"Yeah, Boss. I'm good," Baker responded with a wince as he was shaking off the impact. "Caught me in the arm. It's usable, but I dunno how much right now."

Miriya in the meantime ran in to the room and went to one of the consoles and started entering in commands. Satisfied with the results, she typed in another command before pulling out her gun pod and shooting the console. As the console showered the area surrounding it in sparks, she turned towards Rick.

"I made a little change to the weaponry. If they fire any of their external guns, it will cause an overload on the system."

"Meaning, if they shoot, they'll be shooting themselves?" Rick asked.

"Exactly. I also entered in a new pass code that I only know. They won't be able to change the setting at all."

Rick smiled. "Nice move. As for the shields?"

Max stepped forward. "Leave that to me." He looked over at one of the dead warriors and found what he was looking for. It was a spherical device that started to hum as he clicked it. Tossing in over to where the shield array was, he turned towards the other motioned for them to leave.

"That was a reflex grenade. We're going to want to leave here and soon when that goes off."

"How long do we have?" Amelia asked.

"About twenty seconds, give or take."

"Sounds about right," Rick said. "OK, time to take care of the main part of this. Navigation. Where are we headed?"

Miriya responded. "Down a floor and pretty much even as to where we need to go to get out."

"OK, time to follow the tour guide."

The six fighters made their way out of the corridor and towards the turbolifts between levels. As they exited, they could hear the rumble from the now destroyed weapons and shields room.

It was also at this point that Baker's Veritech started to fall behind a bit.

"Plankton, you gotta keep up."

"Sorry, Boss," Baker shot back. "I think that Em Zee prick did more damage to my bird than I thought. Probably from the recoil when I hit the wall. Guess I jostled something loose."

Rick thought for a second. _Can't really protect a straggler very much if his bird is starting to not cooperate. But, this could have an added bonus if we can get Big Ugly to start shooting._ Picking up on the comm, he saw Miriya pop on the screen. "Mir, where's the closest hatch out of this bird?"

Miriya looked over some things and came back up quickly. "Commander, there's a hatch about three hundred meters from our destination. What are you planning?"

"Two things. One, getting Baker clear of here," he stated.

"Boss, I'm fine!" the other pilot protested. "I can still fight."

"Not if you're straggling like this. You even said the shot you took did more damage than you thought. I'm not gonna sacrifice someone if I chance of getting them out of here. I'm asking nicely. I can order you to go, you realize."

Knowing Rick was right, Baker stopped protesting. "Understood, sir. Not in favor of abandoning you again on one of these missions."

"Look, if you're still beating yourself up about Star Saver, don't. That was a dumpster fire of a mission. Be happy you collided with the geese. You missed out on all the awful afterwords. Hell, for I know, I could have been writing your folks a letter after that one."

Baker nodded. "Well, what's the other thing you mentioned?"

Rick smiled. "The second thing was we were going to put Miriya's programming skills to the test."

Baker smiled back. "Although I don't want to be the guinea pig, I get what you mean here, Boss. Lead the way."

The group moved towards the hatch and popped it open. Baker's Veritech dove out quickly as the others shut it quickly. In an instant, Baker had shifted his fighter from Battleoid mode back to fighter and was pushing the throttle to full to move away from the ship as quickly as possible.

The others turned back and moved back towards the navigation room.

* * *

Grel peered down at the readout. _Another alarm. This one is over by navigation._ His thoughts were broken by the shout of one of the scanner techs nearby.

"Sir! There's a Micronian fighter right nearby heading three one seven. I believe he is trying to escape."

 _Not for long,_ Grel thought. "All batteries open fire on that craft! I do not want him escaping to tell any stories of us."

At one of the gun mounts, a crew took aim and quickly got a lock on Baker's Veritech as it tried to speed away.

"On my mark. Fire!"

Nothing happened as the gunner pulled the trigger. Angered, he did so again. No response from the gun. Muttering something about his bad luck as the target was starting to pull further away, he felt a slight rumbling and looked at one of the indicators in front of him. _That cannot be right,_ he thought. _The gun is overheating?_

He blinked for a second as he processed what was going on. It would be the last thought the gunner would entertain as the gun failed in an explosive fashion due to the overload that had been programmed in earlier.

Across the bottom of the ship, every gun battery erupted in flame as they attempted to shoot at Baker's Veritech, but were unable to without destroying their position. "Hell of a thought there, Deadpool," he said to himself as he was able to put more distance between him and the ship.

* * *

Wilcox gritted his teeth before making the next call. _We're getting hammered out here right now,_ he thought. _As much as I don't like this call, it's the right one._

"All craft, this is Rampart Lead. Fall back to position Omega. Repeat, fall back to Omega. We're in Little Big Horn territory now, folks."

 _Great, even money this battle will remembered briefly as Wilcox's Last Stand,_ he thought darkly as the RDF fighters pulled back to the last stand position. Noticing something on his scanners, Wilcox had a sly thought and prepared to open up another channel.

* * *

The rocking explosions of the gun pods was felt throughout the ship. The greatest reaction to this came from the bridge as Khyron and Azonia both stood up as they felt the rumbles. Muttering something dire, Khyron hit the pickup on the panel in front of him and hailed Grel from his position on the bridge.

"What is going on?"

"My Lord, I believe the Micronians may have tampered with the weapons system. There was one Micronian fighter that looked to be escaping, so I had the gun bays open fire on it. However, it appears that the guns are melting down and blasting back at the crews."

Khyron let out a shout of rage. "Filthy little primates! Where did that one fighter come from?"

"A hatch close to the navigation array, my Lord."

"Grel, gather all our forces we have left on the ship. Azonia and I will meet you down there. They are **not** escaping."

"As you command, my Lord." The screen went dead.

Khyron turned to Azonia and motioned to her. "Come, Azonia. I'm sure you'll want to see your old friend Miriya again."

Azonia smirked. "Looking forward to it."

As they left the bridge, Khyron turned to Gerao and smiled. "Gerao, my friend, you have the bridge. Orders are simple. Keep us on course."

Gerao saluted quickly. "As you command, Lord Khyron," he stammered as he made his way to the bridge.

Turning to Azonia, Khyron muttered darkly. "We should have just handled this ourselves from the beginning. The Micronians have a saying. If you want something done, do it yourself. For a primitive race, they can be oddly perceptive about things."

Azonia nodded. "At least we can have some satisfaction of eliminating the little scum that came aboard and I can add Miriya's worthless pelt to my trophies."

A feral grin came across Khyron's face. "I will have some pleasure in all of this. I will kill Commander Hunter. And who knows, maybe I'll beam it back to Macross Command so his precious Captain Hayes can watch."


	26. The Big Bang Theory

One quick review to cover here before a somewhat longer A/N...

 **theGhostflyer** \- That it is, sir, that it is. Well, it's kinda setting the table for what's about to erupt. Thanks! Having it be her old ship just worked as things went forward. Plus, if you're gonna crash a Zent ship, might as well have a former Zent help with the strategy. Also, a little tension never hurts either. Lisa's got a potential whopper of a call to make, but Rick's reminder was telling her that her duty comes first. And yeah, Baker's taken some lumps early on, but's starting to pay back a bit. I thought that would work in some sort of odd way lol. Yeah, RL's been a beast lately here, but for good reasons.

* * *

Well, I am somewhat sad to say that this is the penultimate chapter in this saga. But this one is a doozy! It's about the size of two of the usual chapters. Lots of action and lots of things coming up here. Brace yourselves for the onslaught. But I have some housecleaning here as well too...

I will be going back through the earlier chapters in the saga and making a few adjustments as I saw I made a few mistakes that need changing for continuity reasons (very minor ones..nothing that would kill the overall plot, just some grammatical errors and a few names I got wrong). Also, on some of the chapters, I'll be adding in specific songs that are referenced (titles only as posting lyrics are a definite no-no, but feel free to hit them up on Youtube, Pandora, or Spotify). I plan on having this all done before the last chapter hits.

I'm also happy to say that the long promised one-takes inspired by this one will be starting as well very shortly. Stay tuned!

And now, as was one stated about an epic TacNet fight between our two favorite RDF officers, **_get your popcorn ready!_**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty Six – The Big Bang Theory**

The scene about one hundred kilometers from Macross Command was one of chaotic fighting in the skies above as the RDF forces had fallen back to this point, pursued all the way by a relentless horde of Zentraedi battle pods. Combat ensued again as Vertiechs and pods danced in the sky, firing at each other with growing intensity. It was a life or death struggle that saw both ruined Veritechs and flaming battle pods plummet towards the ground.

Lieutenant Commander Tom Wilcox knew he had to think of something and fast, otherwise the holding pattern he had been crafting out was going to give way and the pods would have a clear shot at hitting Macross Command and New Macross before Khyron's cruiser arrived to finish the job.

 _We're down about half strength now,_ he thought while engaging another battle pod. A quick burst from his cannons reduced the opponent to a flaming wreck that fell roughly to the ground. _Going to need to clear these guys out, otherwise it ain't gonna matter at all what Hunter can pull on the Badyear Blimp._ Taking note of his location, he saw some reads on his scanner that gave him an idea. "Oh, won't this be a kick in the ass for these guys," he muttered to himself before pushing on the comm.

"Rampart Flight, this is lead. Fall back ten clicks more and switch to Battleoid. I have an idea."

* * *

On the surface not to far away, a new entrant into the battle began to emerge. Large dark green colored war mecha bearing the RDF insignia marched forwards and began to set up on the terrain. The impressive looking machines had large backpack type attachments on them. These were the new Titan Destroids of the 45th and 189th Heavy Artillery. Nominally under the leadership of Lieutenant Emerson, the actual command this day would be in the hands of the commander of the 189th, Major Douglas "Paddy" O'Sullivan. Inside of his mecha, which he had named the Shillelagh, O'Sullivan kept an eye on things. _Right bastards are comin' a bit too close for comfort,_ he thought as the fight started to expand closer to his station.

It was then he heard a squawk come over his comm. "Hey, Paddy! You ground pounders awake down there?"

"Aye, Paladin," Paddy snapped back in a brogue that was one part Dublin, the other South Boston. "I see you're bringin' the bloody fight our way."

"Wasn't my intent, but our buddies insisted on coming over. Got an idea you might be interested in."

"Does it involve kicking the crap out of these Em Zeds?"

"Of course it does, Paddy."

"It's music to my bleedin' ears, boyo," O'Sullivan answered with a grin. "What do you have in mind, Paladin?"

"We're gonna drop another ten clicks back, go to Battleoid and let you and your new toys have fun."

A feral grin came over O'Sullivan. "I like this plan. You and your precious little planes go and drop back. We'll go and tell Big Ugly's little friends to go and bugger off in our own style."

"Roger that, Paddy. If we get through this, there's a Guinness with your name on it waiting at the OC."

"Better make a few pints, laddie. I'm right thirsty at the moment. And killin' Zeds makes me even thirstier."

"OK, ya crazy Irish bastard," Wilcox responded with a laugh. "Good luck and good hunting."

"Lookin' forward to it," O'Sullivan answered. Switching over the comm to another channel, he called up the two battalions at his command. "Now here this, boyos. It seems the air guys are letting us have a go here. You'll note your scanners and all those bloody red dots. Our job is to make those red dots a thing of the past. On my mark, we initiate the wrath of the Almighty on these Zed bastards."

The comm came alive with affirmations of the order. Going against some protocol, O'Sullivan tapped at a device inside of the mecha. Inside, the speakers came alive with a song from a band he had followed while growing up in South Boston. _Fitting song for such an occasion,_ he thought as he prepped for the attack. The red blips on the screen started to get closer. _Oh, you dumb Zed buggers, you have no idea what's about to be unleashed on you. If I were you, I'd start making your peace with God, because you're all about to meet Him up-close and personal._

* * *

Inside of Khyron's ship, Rick and the others came back to the floor where their target was located. Checking both sides of the hallway before leaving the lift, they made their way out and in the direction of their final destination.

"How much farther, Mir?" Rick barked out. "We have about thirty minutes before this ship is going to pop like a zit."

"The room is about two hundred meters down this way," Miriya motioned. "The only problem is that it is located at the end of the hallway, meaning if Khyron has any clue as to what is going on, he can potentially cut us off."

"Nice design," Rick said with a twinge of sarcasm.

"However, Commander," Miriya continued. "There's two entrances and the room is pretty large. We can spread out and pin down whatever forces he wants to bring. And with what we've seen so far, there are not as many as we thought."

"Seeing we already wiped out three good sized patrols already, plus what they sent out to face the others," Max thought. "I'd say the odds may be in our favor on this one."

"How about this," Rick proposed. "Once we neutralize any threat inside of the room, Ben, you and Nibs cover the first door. Max, you and I cover the second door while Mir screws with their navigation. Then, we get the hell out of here, give Command the word, and Big Ugly and his friends get to eat a king-sized energy bolt from the Old Lady."

"Sounds like a straight forward plan," Ben said.

"Works for me," Amelia said with a evil grin on her face.

The group arrived at the location. Looking at the doors and noting how much time was left, they opted against a subtle entry. Amelia and Rick walked over to the door controls and blasted them with a well timed burst from their gun pods.

The doors swung open and the five Veritechs charged in, firing at anything that moved.

* * *

Khyron and Azonia made their way down to the floor where the navigation controls were. As they arrived on the floor, they were joined by Grel and a small detachment of warriors. Khyron shot Grel a very dark and angry stare before he spoke.

"Grel! I told you to get every warrior we had left!"

"I did, my Lord. These ten were the only ones that were left. The others are either already dead or out with Magdar's attack group."

Azonia rolled her eyes. "No, wait, I'll say it. You didn't plan for this contingency, did you, Khyron?"

Khyron shot Azonia a deadly look. "I would shut up if I were you." Turning to the warriors. "No matter. Ten of our best warriors are still better than a small band of Micronian primates."

Down the hall, they could hear the blasts of weapons fire from one of the rooms up ahead. Khryon smiled. "And there's our quarry." He turned towards the ten assembled warriors. "Men! Attack those Micronians! The one in white, black, and gold and the other in red are to be left alive for myself and Lady Azonia to deal with. Any others, feel free to destroy in whatever manner you feel fit!"

The ten warriors raced down the hall towards the room. Khyron turned to Grel and smiled.

"Grel, you may want to go with them and make sure they don't destroy Hunter or the traitor. I want them left alive so we can have the honors."

"Yes, my Lord!" Grel turned and made his way down the hallway towards the ongoing commotion.

As Grel made his way around the corner, Azonia turned to Khyron. "Think they'll be able to handle them?"

"That, Azonia, is something I may not be too sure about," he responded. "Hunter is a crafty foe for a primitive. And they have Miriya with them too. We may have to get our hands a bit dirtier in this one than I originally planned. We'll give Grel the benefit of the doubt that he won't bungle this."

"Guess I should get ready then," Azonia said with a bit of sarcasm.

This earned a look from Khyron that if it could kill, would have destroyed Azonia dozens of times over.

* * *

Back at Command, Admiral Gloval watched as Wilcox pulled his forces back further. _What do you have in mind here, Wilcox?_ he thought as he saw the Veritechs move further back than planned. Then he saw the ground forces move up. A smile broke across the Admiral's face. _Well played, Lieutenant Commander. That is quite a nice gambit there you went with. Now it's time to see if the Titans meet up to the description Anatole gave us._ Turning his attention over to Lisa at her post, the Admiral nodded.

Lisa flipped a switch on her terminal and brought up an image of the Titan Destroids that were deployed. In the back, she could see the Veritechs arriving and switching over to Battleoid mode, holding their ground not too far behind. In front, the pods were continuing to advance.

Smiling, she also saw how this was about to play out on the battlefield. _Wilcox brought them right into a trap and they don't even know it._

Turning towards the Admiral, Lisa smiled. "Shall I give O'Sullivan the order?"

"Yes, Captain. Tell Major O'Sullivan he has the go ahead to attack."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Magdar could hardly believe his eyes as he saw the Micronians falling back further. _We've got them on the run,_ he thought as a broad smile crossed his lips. Opening up his comm to his forces, he relished the upcoming order.

"All forces! Press the attack! We're close to breaking them! This is no time to let up or show mercy! We have the advantage! ATTACK!"

A loud cry came over the comm as the order was acknowledged by the other pods. They continued their move forward, all the while not paying any mind to the mecha lined up on the ground below them.

* * *

Over on his comm, O'Sullivan saw a picture of Captain Lisa Hayes pop up on his tactical display. _If she's not a right goddess of warfare,_ he thought. _That Hunter bloke is one lucky fella._ Moving on from his thoughts, O'Sullivan cracked a smile at the view in front of him, "Yes Captain? How can I be of assistance?"

Lisa smiled quickly before going into full business. "Major, you have the green light to attack at your own discretion."

"Music to my ears, Captain." O'Sullivan said with a smile.

"Anyways, give them a little shock and awe, if you know what I mean."

"Roger that. We'll show 'em how we do it in Southie!"

"Good hunting, Major" With that, the tactical went dark. O'Sullivan then flipped on a channel over to the assembled Destroids. "OK, boyos, we just go the bloody green light from Command. Time to unpack!"

As if on cue, the assembled Destroids spaced out a bit further from each other. From their backs, the backpack type attachments began to open up. They spread into two large wing-like attachments that had twelve rather large missiles attached on each side, giving each Destroid twenty four to shoot.

Seeing all the mecha were set, O'Sullivan gave the next command. "Plot targeting solutions! Only shoot half of your load as we may need to save the others for the bigger, uglier bastard that's coming."

He then watched as the locks began to spread from all the assembled mecha. _Well, there's more missiles than you have pods, ya Zed pricks. Sucks to be you._

"OK, boyos. On my mark!"

O'Sullivan took a deep breath and exhaled as he gave the next order.

" _ **RELEASE THE KRAKEN!**_ "

* * *

The sky came alight as the missiles began to ignite and launch from the mechas in rapid succession. Watching from Command, Admiral Gloval was reminded of something he remembered seeing on an old war film when he was growing up. _They definitely sound like the old Katuskha rockets the Red Army used in the Great Patriotic War. There were stories of German soldiers actually soiling themselves when they heard these go off. Hopefully it has the same effect on the Zents right now._

* * *

"Commander! We have incoming missiles!"

Magdar was stunned by the news. Looking at his tactical display, he saw multiple small blips heading towards his group. _They tricked us!_ he thought as the missiles came closer. Clicking on his comm, he wasted no time. "Take full evasive!"

"Too late!" came the cry of one of the pods nearby.

The missiles arrived and began to rip through the mass of pods, causing massive explosions in the skies above. The ground started to be littered by burning wreckage, fuel, and the occasional body part. Each successive missile strike added to the litter on the ground as the once mighty group of pods was annihilated by the surprise missile attack.

Magdar did his best to avoid the oncoming carnage, pulling back much further than he had intended. After what seemed like an eternity, the last missile had detonated. Looking over the field, Magdar could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"My entire force, decimated," he muttered in shock. Getting his composure back together, he looked around and saw that out of a group of over two hundred pods, only two others besides his own remained after the missile attack. The next order was a relatively easy one to make.

"All remaining pods, pull back! Repeat, pull back!"

The three pods shot off towards the hoped for safety of Khyron's ship.

* * *

Wilcox and the other Veritech pilots watched the carnage from their vantage point, cheering wildly as the missiles struck target after target.

"Hell of a shot, Paddy!"

"Well, if they weren't such dumb bastards and all grouped together like that, it would have been an actual challenge, Paladin," O'Sullivan shot back with a smile.

"Still, reducing them by that much was pretty damn impressive. Thanks again for the assist. And yeah, you're getting a few pints back at the OC on me, boyo."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, we still have the big bugger coming up. Hopefully Hunter and his lads and lasses have taken care of Big Ugly, otherwise, this fight ain't over yet."

"True," Wilcox switched over to the air comm. "Alrighty folks, show's over. Get back to fighter status and push on out ahead. We have the Badyear Blimp coming. It's about one fifty clicks from here. And I'm sure Joker and his pals are gonna want a hand."

The fighters began springing back from Battleoid to regular fighter mode and started on a course to intercept the bigger target.

* * *

Inside of the Navigation room, Rick, Ben, Max, Miriya, and Amelia had been able to overpower and make quick work of the techs working in that wing. Looking over the situation, Rick motioned to Max to head towards the front by one of the doors, while Ben and Amelia headed to the second door. Looking at his chrono, he took note of the time. "Mir, gotta hustle on this one. We have twenty-five minutes, give or take!"

"I should be able to have this switched up shortly. I just have to find a working terminal. Hopefully we didn't make that much noise coming in here."

The footfalls out in the hallway and the shouts in Tirolean proved Miriya wrong. Rick looked over at Max, Ben, and Amelia.

"Get ready. We're about to have visitors!"

The group of ten Zentraedi warriors started firing almost immediately as they came towards the doors. As one of the first ones rushed in, Max did not hesitate, grabbing the man by the throat and slamming him to the floor, squeezing as hard as he could in the process. The result was much messier than he had intended as the impact and force had caused him to rip the unfortunate warrior's larynx out in the process. The man gasped and gurgled before expiring at Max's feet.

Another tried to sneak past Ben, only to meet a quick demise at the hands of his gun pod. Amelia followed suit, cutting down two others that tried to sneak in. Rick had also gotten in the act, blasting one in the chest before he could even get a shot off.

Miriya took a quick pause from trying to re-route the ship as she saw a warrior get a bead on Max while his back was turned. A quick shot later had the warrior on the deck, with a rapidly expanding pool of blood coming from him. Max turned on his comm and saw his wife on the other side. "Thanks, Mir," he said with a smile.

"Next time, Maximillian, watch your six," she said with a smile in return.

"I thought Rick had that...oh wait, he was a little tied up," Max said.

Behind him, Rick was in the process of grappling with another warrior. He caught the warrior with a short punch to the ribs. While the man bent over to catch his breath from the punch, Rick didn't hesitate as he grabbed the man and smashed his head repeatedly against a non-working console. Satisfied that the fight was now out of the warrior, Rick let the man slump to the ground.

It was at this point that Grel made his way towards the room. Grabbing a hold of Ben, he swung the Veritech into the wall behind him with some force. Ben felt himself smack against the front of the tactical display on his fighter, briefly losing consciousness. When he came to, he saw his fighter was seated on the ground against a wall, with a rather large and angry Zentraedi officer standing in front of him.

Grel smiled as he said in the Micronian language, "Now, Micronian. It is time for you to die."

He raised his weapon towards the head of the Veritech. Ben closed his eyes for a second. _Of all the lousy ways to go,_ he thought. _Shoulda told Ameila that I loved her before I bought it. Well, babe, if you hear this, know that I die with you on my mind._

Grel was about to pull the trigger when he felt something cold and heavy on the back of his head.

"Three things you forgot, pal," Amelia snarled. "One, you don't mess with that particular Micronian if you don't want to deal with me. Second, you forgot to watch your six, you dumb bastard."

"What's the third part, you Micronian bitch?" Grel spat back.

Amelia sneered. "The third part? Well, I may be a bitch, but we Micronians have a saying about that."

She cocked the gun pod ominously. Inside the Veritech, a very evil grin crossed her face.

"Bitches love cannons!"

Grel never got a chance to respond or pull the trigger of his own weapon as the upper part of his head evaporated in a red mist. The now half-headed body flopped to the floor, spewing blood all over.

Ben looked over at the sight of Amelia's Veritech holding the gun pod off to the side, extending a hand to help him up.

"Hey Nibs, did I ever tell you I love you?"

"Not until now, but it is nice to hear that, you big lug," she said with a smile. "And yes, Ben, the feeling is mutual, in case you're wondering."

Ben smiled. "Damn, I am one lucky guy."

Amelia smiled back. "What would you do without me? How's your Veritech holding up after that? You took a pretty good hit there."

"I took a bit of a ding, but I should be OK. Maybe we should make our way to the exit if its OK with the boss."

Rick popped up on their comm, smiling. "Yeah, might be a good idea. Go ahead and cover the hatch way so we can get out of here. I think most of the others have been taken care of. And, Ben, about time you came around. She's a keeper."

Ben laughed. "That she is, Boss, that she is."

"You know I'm right here, you two," Amelia deadpanned. "Thanks, Commander. That means a lot. But right now, I think we'd better save these professions of _twuu wuv_ until we kinda get back home and this ship is nothing but a bad memory."

"Agreed," Ben said. "We'll be at the exit, waiting."

Ben and Amelia tromped off towards the assigned hatch as Rick and Max kept an eye out for any other visitors.

Turning back to Miriya, Rick saw she was at work reprogramming the ship's course.

"How much longer, Mir?"

"I should have it set...now! Just have to lock this in...there we go!"

She then pointed her weapon at the last active console. "Have fun changing this, Khyron, you pompous son of a bitch," she snarled.

* * *

Khyron and Azonia had not heard anything from the other end of the corridor for some time. Azonia looked back at Khyron with a flash of concern.

"That silence is not a good sign. Grel and the others would have reported in by now if they had eradicated the Micronians. I think he failed, Khyron."

Khyron felt a wave of anger come over him. "It would appear so. I believe we will have to handle this on our own. Come!"

As they marched down the corridor, they heard the report of a gun pod echo through the hallway followed by a small explosion. Almost immediately, the ship lurched in a different direction suddenly, causing both to fall to the ground hard.

Getting up quickly, Khyron dug out his communicator and tapped it. Gerao's panicked face came up on the screen.

"What the hell is going on, Gerao? I did not authorize any change in course!"

"My Lord! We're on a new course and we cannot change it! Someone has locked the access codes! We're heading away from the target and towards a new destination!" A readout came up on the communicator. Khyron's anger took full hold at this point as he realized the course had them shooting off far away from the SDF-1 and towards a sub-orbital position. He angrily cut off the communicator and smashed it against a wall.

" _ **I WILL KILL THEM ALL!**_ " Khyron screamed out as he ran towards the Navigation room.

Azonia followed behind as she knew the source of the code changes. "Khyron, all I ask is that I get the traitor. You can kill all the others, but leave her to me."

He nodded briefly as he continued towards the room.

* * *

At Command, Lisa was the first to notice the shift in momentum from the cruiser that was bearing down on them. Smiling, she turned towards Admiral Gloval.

"Sir, Skull's done it! They've managed to get Khyron's ship to change course! They're heading at bearing seven-three-eight and gaining altitude."

"It appears Commander Hunter put them into a course that would have them go sub-orbital," Admiral Gloval surmised quickly. Turning back to Lisa, he had an idea pop into his head at the same time.

"Captain, open a channel to Lord Breetai. I would believe Commander Hunter gave us a fail-safe with this."

Lisa nodded and looked over to Vanessa, who started the process. In a few seconds, the viewscreen came up with a video of Breetai and Exedore.

"Lord Breetai," Gloval intoned. "It appears our forces have been able to divert Khyron's ship on a new course."

"Indeed they have, Admiral," Breetai said with a smile. "Khyron's ship is heading right towards my fleet above the Earth. I would think Commander Hunter had that in mind as, as you would say, a fallback if the SDF-1 was unable to bring down the ship."

Gloval nodded.

"He is quite resourceful and cunning. If the SDF-1 does not succeed in bringing him down, we won't miss, Admiral. Either way, Khyron's dimming light is about to be extinguished today."

"Thank you, Lord Breetai. That was all we needed to know. Hopefully we will take care of this before he reaches your ships."

Breetai put his fist against his chest. "Good luck, Admiral. And extend my admiration to Commander Hunter on his tactics."

"Hopefully, you'll be able to tell him that in person soon."

"Indeed."

The screen went black. Admiral Gloval turned back to Lisa. "How much time until we can fire?"

Lisa looked down at the chronometer on her terminal. "Fifteen minutes and counting, Admiral."

The Admiral nodded. He looked towards the heavens and thought to himself. _It's up to Commander Hunter to get out of there now._ He looked back at Lisa. _I do not relish asking Lisa to make the decision to fire if he does not respond. That would destroy her just as sure as it would him._

* * *

Magdar and the two escaping pods looked over on their tactical displays and saw that their ship had taken a severe change in direction that they had not expected.

 _What sort of madness is this?_ Magdar thought. He opened a channel to hail the ship to see what was going on. "Bridge, this is Magdar, come in."

Static followed.

"Bridge, this is Commander Magdar. Our pods have been utterly routed by the Micronians. Over."

More static came over the comm.

"Is anyone even there?"

Nothing.

 _Communications have been knocked out, the ship changed course._ A dark realization came over Magdar. _They tricked us!_

It was just then he saw a lone Veritech coming towards them. _Little Micronian bastard,_ he snarled. _I will make you pay for this!_

Magdar then flipped on the comm. "Kill that Veritech!"

* * *

Baker's proximity alarm had gone off a few seconds before he saw the three pods coming at him. Dodging the energy bolts, he saw a quick opening and took it.

Casually flipping on the radar lock, he quickly got beads on all three pods. _They're not even trying to avoid me. It's like they know they're goners and want to take me with them. Well, that's not happening, pal._

"Skull Eight has a tone and a lock. Skull Eight. Aw screw it, FOX ONE, TWO, AND THREE!"

Three of the four Wildfire missiles on the wings of the Veritech shot forth and towards the three pods.

"Sorry, but better you than me, guys," Baker smirked as the missiles closed the distance rapidly.

In their vigor to take down the lone Veritech, Magdar and the other two pods ignored the warnings that they had a radar lock on them and didn't even pay attention to the missiles until it was way too late. In his last thought before the impact, Magdar begrudgingly complimented his opponent for his ruthlessness.

The missiles were true to their mark and all three pods evaporated in a cloud of fire and debris.

As he sped away from wreckage towards the rendezvous with the other fighters, Baker opened up a channel to the group.

"Rampart Lead, this is Plankton from Skull Squadron. Took a little ding on board the Badyear Blimp, but coming over to lend a hand. By the way, those three stragglers from the pods? Well, they're scrap now. I think one of them was a command pod too."

"Nice shooting, Plankton," Wilcox drawled. "And yeah, that was the lead pod you took out. Not too sad to see that son of a bitch buy the farm. How's Joker doing on there?"

"Well, they don't have any shields, no weps as Deadpool rigged em to blow back when they tried to fire, and their communications are down."

"And seeing it just took a jump upwards, I'd say your boss was good on getting them off course too. How much time til the Old Lady's ready to fire?"

Baker glanced at the chrono. "Looks like about twelve minutes, give or take. Hope the boss and the others get out of there."

* * *

Rick, Max, and Miriya started to make their way down the hall when they saw two figures coming towards them. Rick took a look quickly and noticed one was a male with white hair and a purplish complexion and the other was a woman with brown hair and slightly orange complexion.

Rick and Miriya turned towards Max, with Rick speaking first. "Max, head back over to where Ben and Nibs are and get clear."

"I'm not going anywhere," Max shot back. "I'm not leaving Miriya here alone."

"Maximillian, I am only going to say this once. I love you, but this is something I need to do, to put my past fully behind me. Follow Commander Hunter's orders on this."

"This is personal for the both of us, old friend," Rick stated. "Get the others clear. If you don't hear from me in ten minutes, have Lisa take the shot."

Max nodded sadly. "I don't like this, but I'll do it. If you two survive this, expect to get an earful from me," he gestured towards Miriya, "And expect Lisa to tear into your hide for being this damn foolish," gesturing towards Rick.

Max made his way down the corridor towards the hatch and safety.

Rick and Miriya stood their ground as the two approached. As they came forward, Rick turned towards Miriya.

"Closure, huh?"

She nodded. "This needed to happen. Closure for you?"

"No, far more personal here."

* * *

Max covered the distance quickly to the hatchway and saw Ben and Amelia standing there.

"Where's the Boss and Miriya?" Ben asked.

"Taking care of some business," Max said with a twinge of sarcasm. "Seems Khyron and Azonia came down to play. They're distracting them so we can get the hell out of here. Boss's orders, we get clear. If they're not out in ten minutes," Max sighed deeply before continuing. "We have orders to let Captain Hayes know to fire the SDF-1, regardless of their conditions."

"I don't like this, Max," Ben shot back.

"Me neither," Amelia added.

"You think I like this at all? There's a good chance I lose one of my best friends and my wife and mother of my child over this," Max shouted back. "However, orders are orders. We go. But we hang close and keep an eye out for them."

The three fighters opened the hatch and exited, changing their craft from the Battleoid mode over to fighters as they soared upwards.

* * *

As the two Zentraedi approached, Rick nodded over to Miriya and they made their move, ducking into another room. The room in question turned out to be one of the docking bays of the massive ship. An array of pods sat locked in position on the walls, adding a bit of macabre decor to the large area.

"Larger area gives us some more room to move around," Rick noted. Miriya nodded back over the comm.

"I'll take care of Azonia. Khyron is all yours, Rick. Good luck. Let's end this once and for all."

"Agreed, Mir. Good luck."

With that, they split up just as the two Zentraedi entered. Much like their opponents, Khyron and Azonia split off in different directions, looking for the two Micronian fighters. Miriya used the occasion to slip back out of the bay, but this was noticed by Azonia, who decided to pursue. As they exited the bay, Miriya found herself heading towards the part of the ship where they had entered earlier. Turning around and smiling, Miriya decided to stop and face her former commander.

"Well, you decided to stop running, traitor," Azonia spat. "Ready to face your doom?"

"Are you?" was the reply.

Azonia screamed as she charged at Miriya, with the fullest intentions of causing her much suffering before ending her life. Miriya, however, had other plans. She simply side-stepped the charge of Azonia and delivered a rib-snapping punch to the chest. Azonia sagged and started to cough as the impact coursed through her. Taking advantage, Miriya kicked Azonia square in the back as hard as she could, flattening the Zentraedi commander.

"You and Khyron are not winning today," Miriya spat out. "This madness ends!"

"You are mistaken, traitor!" Azonia coughed out. "The only end that will be seen is yours!"

A new intensity overcame Miriya after the statement. She grabbed Azonia by the scruff of the neck and dragged her towards the hatch. Punching the controls, the hatch slid open. A heavy wind began to stream through the compartment. Dropping her right in front of the opening, Miriya snarled at her opponent.

"Willing to bet your life on that?"

Azonia laughed. "You and your friends will lose today." She got up quickly and fired back with a punch. Miriya, however, anticipated this and caught her fist. She then delivered a swift kick to her midsection. This caused Azonia to lose her balance and it was only by luck she managed to grab on to the floor as she felt herself falling out of the open hatch.

Miriya came closer, then firmly planted both of the feet of her Veritech on Azonia's hands. The satisfying crunch and scream of pain made Miriya realize that her feet were the only thing keeping Azonia on the ship. Looking up at her former colleague turned tormentor, Azonia stared back with a look of pure hatred.

"I hope you made your peace, traitor," Azonia coughed out. "You will never see your beloved or your little brat ever again."

Miriya scowled inside of her fighter. "Unfortunate choice of words, Azonia." Tapping a button on the controls, Miriya fired off the afterburners on the feet of the Veritech. The ensuing flame had the desired effect as Azonia's hands turned into charcoal rather quickly. Moving the thrust up slightly, the weight of the Veritech came off of the now destroyed hands of Azonia. Without the counterweight keeping her up, Azonia tumbled out of the hatch.

The hatch's location was right near one of the large turbine engines that the ship used for atmospheric travel. Azonia tumbled towards the turbines, screaming the whole way.

The turbine rumbled for a few seconds, then continued on its normal hum. Alongside of the ship, a large red splotch extended for about fifty meters. Miriya winced at the outcome. "She always was going to pieces over the smallest of things," she noted. Looking at her crono inside, Miriya jumped clear of the hatch, quickly changing over to fighter mode.

"Maximillian, it's Miriya. I'm clear."

A huge sigh of relief sounded over the comm. "Come to vector nine three six. So what happened to the Boss and Khyron? And where's Azonia?"

"On my way. As for the Commander, he and Khyron were elsewhere. Azonia, however, she kind of fell apart."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Remember the geese on Star Saver?"

"Oh God. That's brutal even for you, my dear."

"She threatened me by saying I'd never see you or Dana again. This maternal instinct, as you call it, kicked in."

"It's like a mama bear on steroids," Ben deadpanned.

"Again with the jokes at the wrong times, Dixon," Miriya shot back with a scowl on her face.

"It was a compliment, Mir!" Ben backpedaled. "I mean, threatening Max or Dana around you is tantamount to suicide."

"Well, then, I apologize," Miriya repsonded. "And you are wiser than you let on, Ben. I have to believe Amelia has a lot to do with that."

Laughter came up from Max and Amelia at the comment.

* * *

Noticing they were alone, Khyron looked around for a fellow warrior that had become the object of his outright hatred throughout the past few years.

"Hunter! Come out and face me, you coward!" Khyron shouted out. "You have ruined my plans for the last time!"

Taking advantage of the dim lighting inside of the bay, Rick managed to get behind his quarry. An evil smile came across his face as he saw that Khyron had his back turned to him.

"Get used to disappointment, Khyron!"

Rick got the jump on Khyron, slamming the metallic fists of his Veritech square into his back. The impact caused Khyron to go sprawling across the floor. Turning over and getting back up quickly, Khyron shouted out in fury and ran towards his opponent. Rearing back, he threw a punch that landed squarely on the head of the Veritech. The impact of the punch shook Rick inside of the fighter, causing him to lose balance for a split second. Khyron noticed this and swept his leg across the floor. Rick, however, noticed this at the last second and fired the boosters in the feet of the Veritech, avoiding the sweep and leapt backwards, regaining his balance in the process. As Khyron pressed his attack, Rick blocked punch after punch, trying to counter as best he could.

"Tell me, Commander," Khyron stated, spitting out the last word as if it were a bitter fruit. "Is this the best you can do? If so, you are going to lose and lose badly."

"You talk way too much for someone who can't win the big one," Rick shot back. "I mean, how many times did Breetai call your ass back for screwing up? Hell, I nearly iced you at least three different times, and one time was when I first started flying a Veritech."

Rick saw his words were having an effect as Khyron's eyes went wide in anger.

"Looks like I struck a nerve. That would have been something. The mighty Khyron, getting killed by a damn nugget! Whatever gods you pray to would have been laughing at that irony."

" _ **SHUT UP, MICRONIAN!**_ "

Khyron leveled a brutal punch towards the chest area of Rick's Veritech. The impact caused Rick to smack against the tactical display, causing him to get double vision for a few seconds. The Veritech landed on its knees while Rick tried to gather himself. Khyron sneered as he saw the advantage and leveled a kick against the head of the fighter, causing it to fly backwards and slam into the floor hard.

"You know," Khyron sneered. "It's a pity that there's no video feed of this. I would have made sure it got back to Macross so your precious little Captain Hayes could watch you die. And all this time, I focused in on that stupid little sorceress. I should have known a warrior such as yourself would not have gone for that. Too much mewling. The Captain, though, she is tough for a woman. The little incident in New Macross was proof of that. However, your simple and stupid little emotions are going to get you killed, Commander."

Rick found himself shaking his head, trying to desperately clear the cobwebs. _OK, that one hurt a bit more than I let on,_ he thought as he regained his faculties. Testing around his mouth with his tongue, he could taste blood after the impact. He glanced at the Veritech's damage report. _Little dinged up, but nothing major yet. Can't take too many more shots like that and expect to escape in one piece._ Glancing back down again, he saw the chrono was down to four minutes.

"It will be a supreme pleasure to kill her as well, Hunter. And you can guarantee that will happen once I finish with you," Khyron sneered as he stood over his prey. A vicious smile came across his face.

Rick growled at Khyron's mentioning of harming Lisa. _Really bad idea to bring that up, Big Ugly,_ he thought. A smirk came across his face as he felt something behind him.

"Any last words, Commander?"

"Remember how I told you that you would screw up and I'd be there to watch it happen?"

Khyron glared down at the Veritech.

"Well, guess what? It's happening!"

Rick pushed the Veritech forward. As it lept back to its feet, its hands were holding a large metal rod. Swinging it down with all the craft's force and velocity behind it, the metal bar connected with Khyron's shoulder. A loud crack could be heard as he screamed out in pain and his right arm fell limp from the impact.

Tossing the bar aside, Rick resumed the attack, this time starting with a barrage of punches that the now injured Khyron could not block. After each one connected with his face and torso, Rick found himself yelling out.

"This one is for New Detroit!"

"This one is for Star Saver!"

"This one is for La Roundellette!"

"This one is for the Deuce!"

"This one is for killing Claudia!"

"This one is for threatening Lisa!"

"And this one is for screwing with me, you son of a bitch!"

The last punch landed on Khyron's face, shattering his nose in a explosion of blood. Khyron staggered back, his face a bloody mess and barely able to stand. As he staggered back, Rick noted something up in the rafters. He pulled out the gun pod and aimed it squarely at Khyron.

Khyron noticed this and started to laugh. "That's right," he wheezed. "Go ahead and kill me, Hunter. You know you want to."

Rick smirked and changed the aim of the pod towards the ceiling and fired. The blast connected with a cable that was holding up some netting with vital equipment inside. The cable began to fray and snapped, causing the equipment to shower down on Khyron. A few seconds later, Khyron found himself looking up at the ceiling, the lower half of his body trapped under a few thousand kilos of equipment.

As Rick walked over towards the now trapped Khyron, he could hear the laughter starting.

"Well, you are more savage than I thought, Hunter. Trapping me so you can kill me in cold blood. I can actually respect that. And to think I thought of you as a simple little primate. Are you sure you're not part Zentraedi?"

Khyron reached over with his good arm and pulled the gun pod's barrel up to his forehead.

"Come on, Hunter. You have me dead to rights. Just pull the trigger and it's all over. Go ahead and do it! You know you want to! Kill me! KILL ME!"

Rick yanked the gun back. "No, I'm not gonna kill you, you dumb bastard. Not like this. It'd actually be way too easy."

He leaned down. Inside of the Veritech, a look of pure hatred came over Rick as he gazed upon his now trapped opponent.

"No, you stupid bastard," Rick snarled venomously. "I want you to suffer. I want you to feel some pain. I want you to die screaming."

A wickedly evil grin came across Rick's face.

"And I guarantee you will do **all** of that."

Rick took out a communicator he had lifted off of one of the dead Zentraedi warriors earlier.

"Here's something to watch," he spat as he tossed it towards Khyron.

Rick turned around and made his way to the gantry. Tapping a button, it started to open up. He ran down the ramp, hearing Khyron shouting at him before he left.

" _ **YOU COWARD!**_ "

Rick maneuvered the Veritech clear of the ramp, switching it over from Battleoid to fighter mode. He punched the throttle, moving steadily away from the ship. He glanced down at the chrono. _Two minutes til midnight,_ he thought. _Cut that a bit too close. Better call home and the others before they all have heart failure._

* * *

Lisa glared down at the countdown timer in front of her, worry growing as every second passed by without a word from Rick. _We're down to a ninety seconds,_ she thought. _There's no way I can go through with this. I can't do this if he's not out of there._ She took a deep breath. _But, I promised him I'd go through with this._ She turned the key that brought forth the trigger. Picking it up, she sighed sadly. _Forgive me, Rick,_ she said to herself as she tried to gather the courage to go through with this one last act.

It was then she saw a buzz come up on the TacNet. Tapping the control, she saw a vision she had been hoping for. On the screen in front of her was Rick. He had a few cuts that would need some medical attention later, but he had a smile on his face.

"Lisa, It's Rick. I'm clear!"

"Thank God! You scared the hell out of me, mister!"

"Didn't mean to leave it so close. Khyron kinda held me up. He's a little indisposed at the moment. However, I made sure he's got a ringside seat for what's about to happen," he added with an evil grin.

Switching channels briefly, Rick picked up the comm.

"Skull Squadron, this is Skull Leader. Time to get out of dodge before the fireworks start. We want to have a good seat to watch this, but not close enough to get singed, if you catch my drift. And yes, I did kick the crap out Khyron if anyone asks."

Shouts of encouragement came from the others as they joined with their commander as they sped back towards the safety of Macross Command.

Flipping channels back to Lisa, Rick had a sly smirk on his face.

"There's one last thing I need to do. Going to another channel quick. You may want to join me on this one. And invite the Admiral over. He may want to see this."

"Sure, Rick. Just have to do one last thing here first."

Nodding to the Admiral, Lisa flipped the communication back over to Breetai.

"Lord Breetai," the Admiral stated. "We have a lock on the ship and are preparing to fire. You may want to move some of your craft out of the way just in case. I don't feel like hitting any friendlies with what we have in store for Khyron."

"Understood, Admiral," Breetai acknowledged. He quickly barked out an order in his native tongue. In an instant ships began to move out of the path of the projected shot.

"We should be all set. Let us know if we are needed." The screen went black again.

Lisa nodded and switched back to the frequency with Rick.

"Sorry about that. We were just letting Breetai know we were about to fire. He's our failsafe if the shot from the SDF-1 misses."

"Kinda figured Mir had that in mind with the course she set them on. Now, have the Admiral come down here. I set up a little something as I left."

* * *

Khyron stared at the communicator set up in front of him, wondering what Hunter had in mind after he had left. Glancing over at his current situation, he could feel the pain shooting up from his now crushed legs. _If, no scratch that, when I get out of this, I am going to be spending quite a bit of time in the medical bay._ He tried to move his legs. The pain was intensified to a new level. _Yes, definitely broken in a few places,_ he thought. _Hunter, you miscalculated leaving me alive. You should have killed me when you had the chance._

He noticed the communicator came alive. On the viewscreen was a Micronian in a pilot's uniform and helmet. He looked over and saw who it was.

"Hunter," he spat out.

The screen split into thirds. Joining Rick on screen were Lisa and Admiral Gloval.

"Khyron, you have been weighed," Admiral Gloval said with a touch of acidity.

"You have been measured," Lisa chimed in.

"And you have been found wanting," Rick finished. "And unlike you, I deliver on my promises. Admiral, Captain?"

"Captain, is the targeting solution in place?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, you may fire when ready."

"With pleasure," Lisa added with a bit of malice. A cold smile came across her face as she held the trigger. She pressed it.

"Goodbye, Khyron. Do me a favor, when you get to Hell, say hi to Dolza for me. God knows you two can compare notes on how unwise it is to screw with the RDF." Rick added, punctuating the comment with a timeless gesture of disdain known to Micronians.

* * *

The SDF-1 began to vibrate as the charge built up for the shot. Lisa found herself holding on to the terminal she was stationed at lest she get knocked off her feet by the vibrations. The lights began to dim and one or two of the work stations near the front began to arc ominously as the shot built up to it's crescendo.

 _Hold together, please. Just hold together,_ Lisa thought as the gun prepared to fire.

The energy beam built up and finally released with a wave of intensity that had not been seen for some time. It shot out on it's course, gaining speed as it barreled out.

* * *

On the bridge, Gerao caught the first indication of what was to come when he saw a bright light getting closer and closer to the ship. Knowing they were unable to move, he could only sit there in mortal terror as the shot from the SDF-1 approached.

* * *

The beam slammed into the rear of the ship and burst through the middle of the ship, coring it like an apple, and coming out the front of the ship. The beam extended for about five hundred kilometers beyond the position of the ship. The intensity of the shot triggered a chain reaction of explosions across the ship.

On the bridge, explosions and structural failures caused much of the suffering to be brief for the unfortunates manning their posts. Gerao's last thought was of wanting to be anywhere else but where he was at that time. The bridge was enveloped in white searing light before nothingness came about.

In his position on the landing deck, Khyron was spared the full intensity of the beam's blast. He had been able to watch as it did hit the ship and passed through. Explosions rocked the ship as reactors overloaded and melted down, munitions erupted, and other vital parts began to break apart. A wall of flame began to tear through the deck as the unmanned pods began to explode all around him. Unable to move and and locked into his fate, Khyron screamed out one word before the flames and darkness took him.

" _ **HUNTER!**_ "

* * *

The Zentraedi cruiser ripped apart in increasing explosions before shattering completely as the critical systems and reactors failed. The explosion cloud could be seen for hundreds of kilometers around as the wreckage began to fall towards the surface. The once impressive ship was just a memory as the energy beam faded just as quickly as it had arrived.

Cheers erupted aboard the SDF-1, among the pilots in the air, and among the Destroids on the ground. The same cheers came up from the band of five Veritechs that helped cause the explosive demise of one of the RDF's most implacable opponents.

Inside of his fighter, Rick smiled as he watched the explosion. _That was one hell of a shot, Lisa._ Flipping on the channel to the others, a broad smile came across his face. "OK, ladies and gents. We can definitely score one for the good guys today. And I don't think I'm alone in thinking that I enjoyed that a bit more than I probably should have."

No words needed to be conveyed by the others. Simple nods were the order of the day from Max, Ben, Miriya, and Amelia.

As they moved closer towards their final destination, they saw a single fighter up in front. Recognizing the markings on the fighter, Rick smiled broadly as he saw Baker had made it out in one piece.

"Plankton, coming up on your six," Rick snapped out on the comm. "Good to see you got clear."

"Glad to see you guys got out of there too," Baker responded with a broad grin. "Caught three pods on their way back after you diverted Khyron. They got to form the scouting party for their boss in Hell," he added.

"Which is why you only have one missile left," Max chided.

"Sorry, Nightwing," Baker sheepishly responded. "Got a little carried away."

"And you get on my case about overkill," Amelia said with a bit of a mirthful grin.

"Well, one missile per pod does make sense," Miriya added.

"Especially when one was a command pod," Baker smiled. "By the way, that little programming trick, Deadpool? That was fun to watch. You gotta teach me that one." This earned him a nod from Miriya in return.

"Max, you can't get mad at the kid," Ben chuckled. "Those command pods are tougher than they look."

"True, he's here to tell the tale and taking out a command pod is quite a feat," Rick chimed in. "Hell of a job, Baker. Time to head home."

"Just as long as you don't touch the sims, we'll be fine," Max added with a grin.

Laughter came over the comm among the six pilots as they made their way towards home.

* * *

On board the SDF-1, systems began to return to normal as the ship settled back to as close to normal as it could after a blast of that intensity. Looking around, Lisa, Admiral Gloval, and the other members of the bridge team breathed a sigh of relief as the ship appeared to have held up.

Wasting no time, Admiral Gloval punched a button on his chair. "Dr. Lang! Status report!"

" _Herr Admiral,_ ve did manage to get ze shot off, but zis ship vill never fly or shoot again. She has given her all on zis last mission."

"Understood, _Herr Doktor_ ," Gloval responded with a nod to Dr. Lang's homeland. "Job well done."

" _Danke, Herr Admiral."_

Turning to the rest of the bridge staff, the Admiral made a quick decision. "Lisa, make one more report, then we head to the temporary bridge downstairs in Command. The _Staraya Ledi_ has served her purpose."

"Yes, sir!" Lisa quickly pulled up the TacNet.

"All craft, repeat, all craft. Macross Command is shutting down for about ten minutes as we shift over to the other bridge. All craft and ground forces can begin to pull back to base. Repeat, all forces may return to base. This is the SDF-1 signing off for the final time."

Lisa shut down the terminal and made her way to the exits along with the others. A small wave of sadness came over her as she realized this would be the last time she would see this bridge in action. _Well, the war started here and ended here,_ she thought. _We could use a small break from all of this._

As she reached the ground level and walked outside, Lisa looked over to the Admiral. Without even a word, Gloval nodded towards her, knowing what her request was going to be. A quick salute and a smile followed as she walked away from the bridge location and towards the hangar bays.

Turning to the others, he looked over at Sammie and stated simply, "You have the TacNet when we get to the bridge. The Captain has some business to attend to." A broad smile came across the Admiral's face as he took a long draw off of his pipe. _With all this madness, it did bring about one great thing. If ever two people were meant to be together, it is those two,_ he thought as he approached the building.

* * *

As the newly dubbed Suicide Six contingent from Skull Squadron saw New Macross come into sight, Rick could see the SDF-1 was dark. _She did the job she was asked to and did it well,_ he thought wistfully as they approached the base.

It was then that the TacNet came alive with a different face on the screen than what Rick was expecting.

"Commander, you and the others are cleared to land on Runways eleven and twelve. Welcome home and job well done!"

"Thanks, Sammie. I'm guessing the Captain is down on the deck waiting for us?"

Sammie nodded. "She insisted on a personal welcome home."

A broad smile came across Rick's face. "Wouldn't expect anything less. Heading in on eleven. Skull Leader signing off." With that the six fighters descended gracefully and touched down, safely back at Macross Command.

As Rick brought his fighter around to the taxi area, he saw Vince standing there with a broad smile. Stopping the fighter and opening the canopy, Rick climbed on down as the larger man stood by and applauded.

"Joker, my man!" Vince shouted out. "You promised a Viking funeral for that bastard and by God, you delivered!"

The traditional fist bump between the two turned into Vince giving Rick a bear hug.

"Thank you. I know it won't bring her back, but at least Jean and I have some peace going forward."

Rick nodded. "Amen to that." Looking over at Skull One, he smiled. "She got a few dings in her courtesy of Khyron and there's probably some of his useless DNA on the arms as well, but other than that, she's in good shape."

"Nothing I can't buff out," Vince said with a laugh. He looked over towards the hangar and smiled. "I think there's someone there that's waiting to see you."

Rick looked over and saw a familiar vision in white. A very large smile came over his face. "More like someone I can't wait to see," he added. "If you'll excuse me."

He started to walk towards the hangars as Ben, Max, Miriya, Ameila, and Baker joined him. Along the sides of the approach stood a majority of the other pilots that had participated in Operation Thermopylae. To a man and woman, they began to applaud the six pilots that had brought about the end of Khyron. Breaking a bit with tradition, the six moved along the sides and were high-fiving and hugging their fellow comrades as they moved down the line.

Meeting up with Wilcox, Rick saw the taller pilot beaming and laughing. Rick reached over for a handshake, which Wilcox ignored and turned into a bear hug.

"Hunter, you magnificent bastard! Good job on icing Big Ugly."

"Nice job on taking care of his playmates," Rick added.

"Wasn't all me. You'll have to thank Paddy O'Sullivan of the 189th. His boys kicked the crap out of them."

Rick laughed, knowing who Wilcox had mentioned. "Tell that crazy Mick I owe him a pint!"

"Hell, he may even buy you one." Eyeing the end of the group, Wilcox nodded. "You know, it's not polite to keep a lady waiting, Rick," he added with a laugh.

"Well, let me head on over there. I have a feeling the OC and the SetUp are in for a long night."

"And a profitable one at that," Wilcox chuckled. He gave Rick a quick salute and started to talk with the others as Rick walked past.

At the end, Rick saw the one person above others he was hoping would be there. Without hesitation he started to walk a bit faster and eventually was in a near run as he reached Lisa. He pulled her in close and hugged her tightly. Not even caring who was around them, he kissed her with a fevered intensity. Stopping for a second to catch his breath, he could see she had a huge smile on her face.

"Thank God you made it out," she said. "I don't know if I could have pulled the trigger if you hadn't."

"Told you I had a damn good reason to make it home," he added with a smile. "And I'm glad it didn't come to that."

"Try not to scare me like that again, Flyboy."

"Can't promise I'm not gonna drive you batty, Forever Girl. Just remember, you signed on for this," he added with a wink.

"That I did," Lisa added with a smile. "And I wouldn't change a thing."

The two walked into the office complex arm in arm, their spirits brightened by a sense of relief and joy that the long war with the Zentraedi was finally over.


	27. Onwards And Upwards

_**A/N** \- The usual notes are going to be at the end of the chapter. We've hit the last round-up for DBTD. Enjoy as this ties things up and sets the plate for the next installment._

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty Seven – Onwards And Upwards**

Activity at Macross Command had come back to normal in the week following the last gamble by Khyron, which had been dubbed as The Last Ride. The only upswing in activity was with the crews working on salvaging what could be taken from the wreck of the SDF-2 in Lake Gloval. Work on this important project had been slow as much of the superstructure lay at the bottom of the lake in question. Also, among those in the command structure, decisions were starting to be made to go ahead with the construction and launch of a replacement, which had been codenamed the SDF-3.

However, for the members of Skull Squadron, their attention was turned in a different direction as a special ceremony was taking place in the common area of their offices. The pilots from Skull and their counterparts in the now almost fully rebuild Rapier Squadron would come together one last time as some of their braver pilots were being honored with promotions. The ceremony itself was also to be graced with the presence of Admiral Gloval and Captain Lisa Hayes.

Commander Rick Hunter stood at the podium and looked over the assembly. He saw the Admiral and Lisa walk in. In an instant, everyone stood at attention as the two most senior officers on the base walked past. Arriving at the podium, Rick saluted as both the Admiral and Lisa took a spot off to the left of the podium area. A quick nod from Rick gave the others the indication they could return to their seats.

Clearing his throat and taking a quick sip of water, Rick gazed at his notes and then started speaking.

"Good afternoon. We're all here to honor some of our pilots from Skull and Rapier that have gone above and beyond the call of duty in both Operation Star Saver and Operation Thermopylae. These valorous acts have been recognized by the Robotech Defense Force and the United Earth Government and have resulted in promotions in rank for the pilots that will be introduced. Also, we do have some special guests here as well. The Admiral and Captain will be helping with the presentations."

He glanced down at the list quickly.

"First, I need Sergeants Amelia Niebauer, Fredrik Malikowski, and Jack Baker up here."

The three walked up to the stage area, all three beaming with pride.

"Nibs, Screech, Plankton. All three of you have, as we said, gone above the call of duty," Rick stated. "For this and your actions in the last two operations," Rick paused for a second. "Or, in your case, Baker, the last operation," he corrected, which got a chuckle from the crowd and from Baker. "Anyways, all three of you are officially promoted to the rank of Major. This means you all can now go to the Officer's Club, but you're all buying the rest of us a round." Laughter came up followed by applause as Rick saluted each and handed them their new rank insignias, following it up with a handshake.

Rick returned to the podium and reviewed the list.

"Next, can Lieutenant Benjamin Dixon and Second Lieutenant Miriya Parina Sterling step forward?"

Ben and Miriya smiled as they were called forward. Both reached the stage area and saluted.

"Ben, Miriya. You both have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt you're two of our best and most dangerous out there. I'm proud to confirm you both have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander."

More applause followed as Ben and Miriya received their new rank insignia.

"Next up. I need Lieutenant Commanders Maximillian Sterling and Thomas Wilcox up on the stage."

Max and Tom looked over at each other and smiled as they knew what was coming. As they hit the stage, they were beaming as they saluted Rick.

"Max, Tom. You guys are probably two of the best we have here. Period. I have the honor of letting you guys know you've been promoted to the rank of Commander."

Applause broke out again as Rick handed Max and Wilcox the rank insignia that noted their new standing in the RDF hierarchy.

Just as Max and Wilcox were moving away, Rick noticed Lisa walking over towards the front with Admiral Gloval behind her. She motioned to Rick to step off to the side as she took over behind the podium.

"Well, we're not quite done as of yet. There's one more promotion that needs to be covered." She then turned towards Rick and had a huge smile on her face.

"Commander Richard Hunter, on behalf of the Robotech Defense Force, I am happy to report and inform you that you have been promoted to the rank of Captain." She then saluted him and handed him a box with the new rank insignia inside.

Rick saluted back and had a large smile cross his face. Leaning in to Lisa, he whispered softly. "Guess that means you don't outrank me any more."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Captain," a voice stated nearby. Rick looked over and saw Admiral Gloval smiling. Turning towards the two, he motioned to Lisa to step over to where Rick was and assumed control of the podium.

"On behalf of the Robotech Defense Force and the United Earth Government, I would like to congratulate all the pilots that have been promoted this day. These are honors that were well deserved and will help the RDF grow stronger in the coming years. However, we are not completely done with the promotions this day."

Gloval then turned towards Lisa.

"Captain Elizabeth Hayes, it is with great honor that the Robotech Defense Force have conferred on you the rank of Rear Admiral. The promotion was supposed to be to full Admiral and was to have happened with the commissioning of the SDF-2, but I have fought to be sure that this would be applied regardless. Once a future SDF is commissioned, the promotion to full Admiral will be put through."

With that, he saluted Lisa and handed her the coveted rank insignia.

Lisa returned the salute, then turned towards Rick with a beaming smile.

"You were saying, hotshot?"

Rick smiled as he shook his head.

* * *

On the road towards Monument City, a lone black sedan made its way towards the sprawling city-scape in front of it. Inside of the car, sitting in the back seat, a lone figure looked out of the window at the landscapes as they sped by. Feeling a vibration, the figure saw that their cellphone was alerting them to a call. Sighing, the figure pulled out the phone and glanced at the caller ID. Scowling quickly, they tapped the screen and answered.

"Hi Kyle," Minmei answered.

" _Where the hell are you? I have a gig planned for next week at the Brovada in New Las Vegas. Heck, if it's good enough, they're willing to make it a permanent thing."_

She scowled at this news. "I thought I told you in no uncertain terms I wanted to take some time off! Cancel it!"

" _You're throwing away a good opportunity here. I won't cancel it."_

"Well, have fun explaining why your cash cow won't be showing up. I've booked myself for a few weeks at Windy Pines. I need to get myself back in order after all the craziness of the past few weeks."

" _YOU WHAT?! Why you selfish little..."_

"The answer is still no."

" _I've invested everything I have in this gig. I'll be ruined if you don't show!"_

"Should have thought about that before going ahead without telling me!"

" _Minmei, don't be silly! Come back and do the gig!"_

"For what reason? So you can make more money off of me? And you call yourself family."

" _I'm begging you, don't do this. It's all because of that idiot pilot isn't it? He cuts you off and you go off the rails. Fine, go on your little selfish bitch mode. You obviously don't give a damn about anyone but yourself. All because that moron Hunter decided he'd rather screw some whore in an RDF uniform instead of being with you. You're still better off, but you're tossing everything away."_

Minmei fumed at the insinuations and let her rage take full flight.

"SHUT UP, KYLE! Now I know why Rick decked you after the restaurant mess! I want to do the same right now! It's not about you, you prick! This is about me! I need the time off and I'm taking it. Also, consider yourself fired as my manager. I'll be putting out a press release about that before I reach Windy Pines."

" _But, but, but..."_

"Also, I'll be hitting up Macross Metro and Monument to make sure a restraining order is put in place on you. Don't ever contact me again, you ass!"

She cut off the call with a mixture of anger and relief. She turned off the phone and continued to look out the window at the scenery outside.

 _That was long overdue,_ she thought. _I just need to take small steps to get myself back in order._ Looking down at a piece of paper she held in her hands, she looked over a line that had resonated after she had read it.

 _I do have to say thanks for one thing, Rick,_ she smiled. _This letter's given me the courage to stand up for myself. I may have lost you, but I'll end up bouncing back better than ever. If I ever do see you again, I'll be sure to thank you for that. That and let Captain Hayes know I'm sorry for my actions as well._

Tucking the letter back into her purse, Minmei sat back and closed her eyes and thought of better days ahead.

* * *

The area around Jupiter and its moons was far removed from the events occurring on Earth. It was here that some of the Zentraedi forces that had not decided to stay after the failed attack by Dolza had decided to regroup. The group of cruisers that clustered around one of the moons had bided their time as they had sent a communication back to their home world informing them of the disaster that had occurred prior. On the largest of the cruisers, the overall commanding officer, a Commander Yuzgo, stood at the bridge in anticipation of an arrival from the Micronian home planet that had been referenced to a week prior.

 _With the distance they would need to cover and the craft they were using to get off-world, a standard week was about the right time frame for their arrival,_ he thought. Glancing at the chrono on the monitor nearby, Yuzgo scowled. _Actually, they're a little behind schedule. Not like them to be anything less than punctual._

The thoughts about the arrival were wiped away as he heard a shrill whistle come up from the console nearby. Tapping a button, he saw one of the techs manning the scanners pop up on the screen.

"Sir, there's a shuttle that just de-folded about one thousand _rhyl_ from our current position in quadrant three-seven-three. Looks to be one of ours."

"Excellent. Keep a track on them and if they haven't attempted to hail us, have communications reach out to them."

It was then that another whistle came up. "Sir, it appears they are hailing us."

"Patch them through!"

A few seconds later, the screen came alive with the view of a pilot.

"Your excellency. We are currently on course towards your location. Permission to dock?"

"Granted. Follow your present course and land in bay six. I will be down to personally greet your passengers."

"Acknowledged, sir!" The communication went dead. Yuzgo looked out over the bridge and turned to his assistant, a smaller Zentraedi named Liran. "Liran, you have the bridge. I must go and greet our guests." With that, he turned and exited towards the docking bays below decks.

Within a few minutes, Yuzgo was down in Docking Bay Six and was watching as the shuttle approached and landed. Waiting for the bay doors to close and re-seal, he started towards the floor area.

As he approached, he saw the gantry open up on the shuttle and three figures emerge. A broad smile came across the commander's face as they approached.

"Welcome aboard my humble ship," Yuzgo stated as he saluted his visitors with a fist across his chest. The gesture was returned in kind by the three.

"Thank you, Commander," one of the visitors stated. "This ship will do nicely. What is the current disposition of our forces?"

"It could be better, sir," Yuzgo stated plainly, figuring there was no use in not telling the truth. "We have about fifteen cruisers here with us. It's not enough to mount a counter attack. We already relayed the news about Dolza's defeat back to Tirol, but we have yet to hear anything from our counterparts or the Masters as of yet."

"That is dismaying," another visitor stated. "I would have been certain that the transmission would have arrived by now."

The first figure sighed. "Well, that does change things. I may have to return to Tirol personally at this point. As they have yet to hear the news of Dolza's failure and with the information we have from the Mirconian home world, a simple transmission may not be enough for the Masters to encourage a change in strategy."

Yuzgo was clearly intrigued by this news. "What sort of change are you looking at, sir?"

The first figure smiled broadly. "We may have to put aside our ongoing war with the Invid to teach these little primates a lesson that the Zentraedi forces are not to be trifled with."

"I doubt the Masters would go for that," Yuzgo stated clearly. "The eradication of the Invid is our main goal. Zor's flagship would have been of great benefit."

"It will no longer be of any help to us."

A look of shock came over Yuzgo's face.

"We will need every last bit of our forces to win. As long as the Micronians are in the way, there is no way we can defeat the Invid, especially without the matrices they hold on to."

The visitors dropped the hoods of their cloaks. The faces of Khyron, Azonia, and Grel stared back at Yuzgo.

"That is why I must travel to Tirol immediately," Khyron stated. "I will leave Azonia and Grel here with you to help build up your forces. I can only hope I can convince them to allow us to take a good portion of the siege fleet from the Invid home world back here to get those components before we turn the Micronian world into a floating cinder for foiling my plans yet again."

"And what of Breetai? He still exists."

An evil grin came across Khyron's face. "And of course, we can eliminate that traitor as well. It is what the Micronians would call a 'win-win scenario'." He turned towards the others and nodded, then back to Yuzgo. "For now, we hold back on our forces. I have enough of my followers on the Micronian home world to cause them enough headaches for a while. Besides, they do not have a space-worthy fortress to take us on. The only reason why it was a defeat with Dolza was due to Zor's flagship. As it is out of the picture, and the other copy the Micronians were attempting to build being destroyed, I would think we have enough time to consolidate our forces. And speaking of copies, I took the liberty of activating our clones before we left. The Micronians believe the three of us are dead, so it will make our return all that more surprising."

Yuzgo nodded as he started to understand the plans that were being made. "I would figure Breetai would have said something about the resupply asteroid that is near the fifth planet of this system."

"Indeed, which is why I have these two staying with you. We will want to make sure that the asteroid is fully defended. I'm sure they'll say something about that soon enough. If the Micronians get that, it will make their rebuilding that much easier."

Khryon walked back to the shuttle and nodded to the pilot. "It may take some time, but I should be folding back in due course with a fleet large enough to destroy those primates once and for all."

With that, he boarded the shuttle and departed. On board, Khyron thought over the plans he had in mind. _Once I return, it will not end well for you, Micronians. Especially you, Hunter. I fully expect to burn you and your kind from the universe once and for all._

A smile came across Khyron's face as he thought about the gambit that had been played back on Earth. _I can only imagine the reactions of Hunter and the others when they realize they didn't kill me after all. That will make this even better when it comes to pass._

* * *

The skies over the Macross Military Cemetery were gray, which matched the mood of the two RDF officers paying respects at a newly created grave. Gazing down, Rick and Lisa both held single roses as they read the tombstone.

" _Lieutenant Claudia Grant (1983-2016) and Commander Roy Fokker (1979-2012) Together for Eternity"_

After Claudia's death aboard the SDF-2, Vince and Jean had gone through her effects and found Roy's ashes at her house. _That wasn't too surprising,_ Rick thought. After discussing things with all of her friends, they had decided the best option and probably the one Claudia would have approved of was to cremate her as well and mix the ashes with Roy's in one grave.

"Fitting they're together as one in death as they were in life," Lisa mused.

Rick nodded. "I don't think either of them would have wanted it any other way, Lisa."

Rick bent down and placed the rose on the grave, with Lisa following suit. As they turned towards the exit, Rick stopped by the monument for the Star Saver mission that was also recently unveiled. He read over the inscription.

" _In honor of the twenty-three pilots who made the ultimate sacrifice in the raid on New Boise on October 23, 2016. In order to preserve peace, one must be ready to sacrifice for it."_

Rick read over the names and touched a few, sighing deeply as he did so. While doing this, he felt Lisa wrap her arm around his waist.

"They didn't sacrifice themselves in vain, Rick."

He nodded. "And hopefully neither did Claudia. Hopefully Monument will listen to reason and know that the Three is going to be needed."

Lisa nodded as well. "It's going to take some convincing. There's some that don't buy that there's a bigger threat than the Zentraedi."

"Better to be prepared than to get caught with our pants down. We already saw what can happen if that occurs. We're still paying the price from that."

"Those that forget the past are condemned to repeat it," Lisa stated softly.

"Well, I really don't want to see a reboot of Dolza's Rain."

"Neither do I."

Rick looked at Lisa and smiled. "Come on, Forever Girl. Let's go home. I believe I have a dinner I owe you."

"Well, seeing it's been quiet for the past week, I think we can risk doing this. Besides, I still don't buy that you're this amazing cook and all, Flyboy," she retorted with a mischievous grin.

"Just watch me. You'll find I'm full of surprises," he added with a smile.

As they left the cemetery, the clouds began to break a bit and the sun began to shine on through. They both saw this and smiled. _Just as things were bleak the last few weeks, it looks like things are starting to shine through,_ Rick thought. Lisa smiled back at Rick as she saw this as well. _We did face some dark times, but the future is bright in more than one way._

 **\- FIN -**

* * *

 _Well, after almost a full year of planning and nearly two months of writing, **Darkest Before The Dawn** is complete. This saga had its birth on the beach at Ocean City, New Jersey of all places, as I started writing this up while on vacation. Ideas in a notebook turned into a long doc file on my laptop. After some editing and rethinking of some aspects, I fully went in on this back at the beginning of the year. I have to say I didn't expect the following this one got when I started and I am glad everyone that's followed has enjoyed._

 _Is that the end of the road? Hardly. There are some one-shots tied in to this story that are in the works and already up. And there is a sequel in the works that will be starting in a few weeks time._

 _Some final reviews to hit before we close the books on this one and progress forward:_

 _ **Just a Crazy-Man** \- Glad you liked and welcome aboard!_

 _ **Yay** \- Thanks! Well, I have plans for the One and the Deuce going forward. That's going to play a larger role in the next story that picks up where this leaves off._

 _ **jag389** \- Thank you sir! Glad you enjoyed those. Wanted to make them with as much emotion for the participants as I could. They did, but I couldn't quite fully kill them as of yet lol. It all is part of the plan, sir. Hopefully the sequel(s) are right up there with this one._

 _ **theGhostflyer** \- Where to even start lol. Yeah, I had to have Baker step up a bit near the end after all the abuse I put the poor kid through lol. And Ben, well, that's pretty much on point with his character. Nibs, though, man she's been fun to write lol. When she flips that switch and goes Philly on folks, it's kinda fun. Paddy will be back as well, as he's another treat to work with. Of course the Zents were gonna play the full "we're just gonna kick their asses" card and pay for it. The Azonia death was one I had planned from the start when I fleshed out this story._

 _Glad you enjoyed that line lol. Totally meant it as a Bond-esque pun delivered deadpan. Also, the mama bear on 'roids fits her motif as well. And yes, her humor is developing as she gets more of the Micronian culture._

 _The Rick/Khyron showdown was one I was hoping would go over well. And yes, this was another demise I had planned from the start going down the way it did (I was picturing the final fight between Batman and Ras Al'Gul from Batman Begins on the monorail). Yeah, I would think Khyron would have a fleeting bit of respect for a fellow warrior, even if he does hate them..and of course it wouldn't be Khyron without doubling down on the anger lol._

 _That was another thing I had in mind with the final fight as well too. I just couldn't resist getting Gloval and Lisa involved in it. Rick promised suffering and he delivered. The end was something I could see happening as well in an episode. Thought about the cat calls, but I would think they'd be happy as hell they got through it. Lastly, guilty as charged with the usage of that line lol. It just fit in that part._

 _ **To all my regular readers** \- thank you for the kind words and support as this developed. Glad you enjoyed this little yarn! See you guys again soon!_

 _- **JayDog75**_


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